On 21 May 2013, Iran's Guardian Council rejected him and many others from the list of approved candidates.
AIC's honorary board includes secretary Donna Shalala, and its Board of Directors is composed of, Thomas Pickering, former Senator J Bennet Johnson, former Vice-Chairman of Chevron Richard Matzke, Dr. Fereidun Feksharaki President of FACTS, and Professor Hooshang Amirahmadi of Rutgers University, Ambassador Sargent Shriver, R.K. Ramazani, Ambassador Robert H. Pelletreau, Ambassador Chas W. Freeman, Judith Kipper, Roy Mottahedeh.