PHILADELPHIA — June 8, 2026 — This weekend, as the Iranian regime fired ballistic missiles at Israeli civilians, The New Arab, a publication owned by the Qatari company Fadaat Media, prepared an attack on the Middle East Forum for its work supporting the Iranian people against that regime.
Consider what that means. A foreign, state-aligned outlet is going after the American organization that has done the most to help Iranians end the regime in Tehran, at the very moment that regime is trying to kill its neighbors. The question worth asking is not about the Forum. It is why a Qatari publication is this invested in silencing the regime’s critics.
“The New Arab is a Qatari-owned outlet, and it is attacking the Americans who do the most to help the Iranian people end the regime that hangs them,” said Gregg Roman, executive director of the Middle East Forum. “We stand with the people of Iran, we are proud of it, and we are honored that Doha thinks us worth the trouble.”
The attack recycles years old and demonstrably false claims that the Forum has answered before. The Forum is an American organization that takes direction from no government. Its support for the Iranian people, including the country’s long-oppressed minorities, is a matter of public record and public pride.
The regime that hangs its own citizens and fires on its neighbors is the regime this publication seeks to protect. The Forum makes no apology for opposing it, will not be intimidated from doing work that is just and right, and will hold those who publish and repeat these falsehoods to account.
The Middle East Forum is a Philadelphia-based applied policy research organization that promotes U.S. interests in the Middle East and protects Western civilization from Islamist threats. Founded in 1994, MEF pairs rigorous analysis with direct-action programs to advance U.S. leadership, support America’s allies, and defend religious liberty worldwide.
For more information, visit www.meforum.org.
For immediate release
For more information, contact:
Gregg Roman
Roman@MEForum.org
+1 (215) 546 5406
@GreggRoman - Twitter
