Fifty-five Iranian activists, many of whom are currently behind bars in Iran, have written a letter reminding the U.S. president that sanctions are hurting the people of Iran. They urged him to seize the opportunity of a new Iranian administration to put an end to the pressures being imposed on Iranians.
The signatories emphasize that U.S. efforts to isolate Iran through sanctions tend to imply that “the United States is not serious about solving the dispute.”
Unilateral U.S. sanctions on Iran have increased progressively in the past two years and, most recently, 76 U.S. senators called for even further intensification.
The signatories report that the average Iranian’s purchasing power has decreased by fifty percent in recent years.
They go on to add that the latest plan proposed by the U.S. Congress to intensify sanctions on Iran will lead to a complete economic blockade of Iran, “which is the first step toward real war.”
The activists warn that in case of such an event, all political activists who have been fighting for years “will then unite in the war to preserve the country’s independence and territorial integrity.”
New U.S. sanctions proposed for Iran’s petroleum products are aimed at completely shutting off Iran’s oil exports.
The bill must still be passed by the Senate and be signed into law by Barack Obama, which is why the signatories have expressed their concerns to the U.S. president.
The Iranian activists urge Obama to take advantage of the change in the Iranian administration and Hassan Rohani’s policy of moderation to achieve “a reasonable solution to end sanctions and the drawn-out nuclear disputes and move toward a brighter future.”
Prominent Iranian activists Mohsen Mirdamadi, Mohsen Aminzadeh, Mostafa Tajzadeh, Faezeh Hashemi, Alireza Rejai, Abdollah Momeni, Abolfazl Ghadiyani, Emad Bahavar, Alireza Beheshti, Nargess Mohammadi, Issa Saharkhiz, Bahman Ahmadi Amouyi, Massoud Bastani, Jila Bani Yaghooub and Bahareh Hedayat are among the letter’s signatories.
