US suspends funding for NGOs in Iran for three months
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The United States suspended funding for numerous NGOs in Iran for several months as per an executive order signed by US President Donald Trump.
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President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House, January 20, 2025, in Washington. (AP)
Several non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Iran, along with internet freedom programs and activists, have received notifications of a three-month suspension of US funding, according to a report by Iran International, a London-based news outlet.
The report states that the Near East Regional Democracy Program, managed by the US State Department, has been the main channel for US assistance to NGOs in Iran since 2009, as documented by the Congressional Research Service.
A State Department official reportedly informed program grantees in writing, "We have been instructed to halt all program activities, avoid incurring new expenses after January 24, and cancel as many commitments as possible."
Among the recipients of US assistance are Persian-language media outlets, with part of the funds allocated to cover the costs of virtual private network (VPN) services used within Iran.
This development follows an executive order signed by US President Donald Trump on January 20, his first day in office, suspending foreign aid for 90 days.
Halt to US foreign aid
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has ordered a near-total halt to US foreign aid, with explicit exceptions for military funding to "Israel" and Egypt, The Guardian reported citing an internal State Department memo.
"No new funds shall be obligated for new awards or extensions of existing awards until each proposed new award or extension has been reviewed and approved…as consistent with President Trump’s agenda," the memo stated.
This broad directive appears to encompass all forms of aid, from development assistance to military support, potentially including Ukraine.
Ukraine has received billions in weapons under President Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, to counter Russia.
The memo, however, specifically exempts military aid to "Israel"—whose arms packages from the US expanded significantly during the war on Gaza—and Egypt, which has benefited from substantial defense funding since signing a peace treaty with "Israel" in 1979.
