National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations (NCUSAR)

NCUSAR opposed the United States’ involvement in Israeli military actions against Iran in 2025 and supported the Obama administration’s 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly referred to as the Iran Nuclear Deal. ^{2 5}

Activities

The National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations conducts research and policy analysis related to United States relations with Arab countries. ⁶ NCUSAR hosts public affairs briefings in Washington, D.C. and through its YouTube channel. ⁷ The organization also hosts an annual Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference to advocate for stronger ties between the U.S. and the Arab Gulf states. ⁸

NCUSAR also offers internship opportunities for young professionals interested in foreign policy research, as well as a Model Arab League program. ^{9 10}

Iran

In 2025, the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations published an article urging the United States not to help Israel in its military actions against Iran. The article argued for “a multilateral approach that brings together Israel, Iran, the Gulf Arab states, and the United States” through “diplomatic strategy.” ²

In a 2015 article, NCUSAR expressed its support for the Obama administration’s Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), or Iran Nuclear Deal, and criticized those who opposed the deal. In the article, NCUSAR argued that “neoconservatives” in the U.S. and their political allies in Israel sought “regime change” in Iran and “[t]erritorial [e]xpansionism” in the Middle East. ⁵

Anti-Israel Advocacy

Critics of NCUSAR have accused the organization of platforming anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian, and pro-boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) voices. During a 2005 speech to NCUSAR, the former U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Chas Freeman, argued that the United States’s military and financial support for the state of Israel enabled what he considered “the Israeli occupation” of the Palestinian territories and reduced the likelihood for peace in the region. ¹¹ In the same speech at NCUSAR, Freeman claimed the so-called Israeli “occupation and settlement of Arab lands” was “inherently violent.” ¹²

In 2010, Andrew Whitley, then-head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East’s (UNRWA) New York office, criticized UNRWA at a NCUSAR event for not supporting the so-called Palestinian right to return to land governed by Israel. ¹³ In 2019, the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis (CAMERA) denounced UNRWA and NCUSAR for advocating anti-Israel positions and hosting anti-Israel speakers. ¹⁴

At NCUSAR’s 2017 Policymakers Conference, prominent BDS activist Noura Erakat delivered a keynote address on “the Palestinian Future.” ^{3 4}

Leadership

As of 2026, H. Delano Roosevelt was serving as the president and chief executive officer emeritus of the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations. Roosevelt is the grandson of President Franklin Roosevelt. H. Delano Roosevelt worked as the president and chief executive officer of the U.S.-Saudi Business Council from 2019-2022. Before joining the business council, he worked as the director of business development for the Reza Investment Group in Saudi Arabia. He is a co-founder of Friends of Saudi Arabia and has been a member and the former chairman of the Middle East Council of American Chambers of Commerce, an executive board member of the American Mission Hospital in Bahrain, vice president of the Bahrain American Chamber of Commerce, a board member of the FDR Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation, and board member of the American Business Group of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Roosevelt also previously led Roosevelt Global Partners and was formerly a member of the Long Beach City Council. In 2026, the World Energy Council (WEC) selected Roosevelt as chair of its US Member Committee. ^{15 16}

As of 2026, John Pratt was the board chairman of the NCUSAR. Prior to joining NCUSAR, Pratt worked for Saudi Aramco in government relations, including postings in Jeddah, Yanbu, Riyadh, and Dhahran. He served as a member of the planning staff of the senior vice president for industrial relations, special assistant to the vice president for management services, U.S. company affairs coordinator with ExxonMobil and Chevron, and coordinator of the Law Department Transformation Project. He is a former chairman of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce regional organization in the Arabian Gulf, the Middle East Council of the American Chambers of Commerce, and a past member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s International Policy Committee. Pratt previously worked for the Republican National Committee (RNC), the Peace Corps training program in Yemen, and was Peace Corps project director in Bahrain. ¹⁷

Financials

In 2024, the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations submitted two tax returns as it changed its fiscal year. The first tax form covered NCUSAR’s financial earnings from September 2023 through August 2024. On that form, NCUSAR reported $1,155,533 in total revenue, $1,483,472 in total expenses, and $2,988,646 in total assets. ¹⁸ The second 2024 990 tax form covered the organization’s financial earning from September 2024 through December 2024. On that form, NCUSAR reported another $822,181 in total revenue, $595,387 in total expenses, and $3,122,269 in total assets. ¹⁹

The Network for Good is a donor-advised fund provider that facilitates contributions to NCUSAR. From 2010 to 2023, the Network for Good issued 12 grants to NCUSAR totaling $171,548. ^{20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31}