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Who is Mora Namdar? Trump appoints Iranian-American attorney, salon owner to handle visa, passport operations
Mora Namdar, an Iranian-American lawyer and salon owner, has been confirmed as Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs.
Mora Namdar, an Iranian-American official proficient in Persian, has been designated as the Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs, with her nomination receiving approval from the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Namdar, the daughter of Iranian immigrants, 38-year-old lawyer, and part-time salon owner, had been functioning as a senior bureau official in the State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs until early December, as per official documentation.
Her confirmation as assistant secretary of state for consular affairs was finalized after receiving the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's endorsement, signifying her second tenure in this role.
Who is Mora Namdar? A look at her career
Namdar previously held the position of acting assistant secretary for consular affairs during the first term of Donald Trump as president.
Additionally, she served as the vice president for legal, compliance, and risk at the US Agency for Global Media, as well as a senior adviser at the State Department, where she managed a diverse array of global issues, particularly US policy concerning Iran.
Based on her professional experience, Namdar is recognized as an authority on US national security and international human rights matters, with a career that encompasses various government agencies and policy areas.
Furthermore, she has acted as a senior adviser at the State Department, addressing a wide spectrum of global policy challenges, including those pertaining to Iran.
All on Mora Namdar's beauty salon business
Outside of Washington, Namdar is acknowledged as the owner of a modest chain of beauty salons called Bam, situated in Texas. These establishments offer services including blowouts, hair extensions, professional makeup applications and event styling.
In earlier interviews, Namdar described the brand as “fun and cheeky” and noted that the first salon was motivated by friends seeking her makeup expertise for weddings and special occasions.
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A contributor to Project 2025
She was also among the contributors to the infamous Project 2025, which has significantly impacted Trump’s second term, authoring a section regarding the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), as reported by the Columbia Journalism Review, Daily Beast reported.
In this section, Namdar charged USAGM—the federal entity overseeing U.S.-funded broadcasters such as Voice of America and Radio Free Europe—with severe mismanagement, “espionage-related security risks,” and of employing “anti-US talking points to parrot America’s adversaries’ propaganda,” while advocating for its reform or complete closure.
