Activist organizations with connections to China and Iran are collaborating inside the United States to oppose American foreign policy, with some fundraising appeals reportedly directing donations to Iranian banks under U.S. sanctions. The findings have intensified concerns among House Republicans that foreign adversaries may be using American nonprofit organizations and tax-exempt status to advance their interests.

The investigation identified a partnership between the Tehran-based House of Latin America (HOLA) and Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, a U.S. tax-exempt nonprofit funded by Shanghai-based millionaire Neville Roy Singham. The Network Contagion Research Institute identified the partnership, which began in December 2023.

Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, warned that foreign governments must not be allowed to exploit the American tax system. His committee has subpoenaed Tricontinental over its financial and organizational ties to China.

"Foreign adversaries must not be allowed to use America's tax code to undermine our country from within," Smith said. "We will follow the money wherever it leads, expose these networks, and hold those who abuse our tax laws accountable."

One of the investigation's central findings concerns fundraising through sanctioned Iranian financial institutions. In 2025, Tricontinental's Persian-language Telegram channel solicited donations through accounts at Bank Melli Iran held by Ali Abutalebi, HOLA's Chicago-based publications director. The bank is subject to U.S. sanctions over alleged links to Iran's defense establishment and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force.

A separate fundraising appeal in February 2026 supporting Cuba directed donations to an account held by HOLA founder Abdolhamid Shahrabi at another Iranian bank under U.S. sanctions, according to the investigation.

Although HOLA describes itself as a nongovernmental organization, a founding document reviewed by investigators outlined cooperation with Iranian government agencies. The findings have raised questions about the extent of the organization's relationship with Tehran and whether ostensibly independent activist groups are serving broader foreign policy objectives.

The investigation also identified connections involving the Democratic Socialists of America, CodePink and No Cold War, an initiative opposing U.S. confrontation with China. Abutalebi, Tricontinental Executive Director Vijay Prashad and DSA activist Anlin Wang are associated with No Cold War.

CodePink co-founder Jodie Evans is married to Singham, who has also provided financial support to The People's Forum, another organization that has received a congressional subpoena. These overlapping relationships have drawn attention from researchers examining how funding, personal connections and shared political objectives may link activist organizations across national boundaries.

Some researchers describe cooperation between far-left political activists and Islamist groups as a "red-green alliance," referring to their shared opposition to U.S. foreign policy despite differences in ideology and religious outlook.

Emmanuel Karagiannis, a professor at King's College London, cautioned against treating the phenomenon as a single centrally directed organization.

"The Red-Green Alliance is not a single organisation with a central leadership, treasury, or command structure," Karagiannis told the publication. "It is more accurate to describe it as a network of tactical collaborations without a central leader or funder."

A senior White House national security source also told the publication that China helps support broader influence networks operating through such organizations.

The congressional scrutiny centers on whether foreign-linked funding and organizational relationships are being used to influence American political debate while benefiting from U.S. tax exemptions. The subpoenas signal that lawmakers are seeking greater transparency into Tricontinental's finances and connections, although the reported findings do not by themselves establish that every organization or individual identified violated U.S. law.