Get Your Senators to Support Diplomacy with Iran
Our action alert is below, and here is a terrific op-ed by Peace Action West’s Rebecca Griffin on the prospects for successful U.S. – Iran diplomacy.
Last month, the Iranian people elected a new president, Dr. Hassan Rouhani. Dr. Rouhani won on the first ballot as Iranian voters demanded change. They rejected the hardliners competing in the election because they want improved relations with the West, an improved economy and greater freedoms.
With your support, and working with our allies, Peace Action helped Reps. Charlie Dent (R-PA) and David Price (D-NC) recruit signers for their letter to President Obama, calling on him to take advantage of this positive change.
Now we shift our focus to the Senate and I need your help to build support for a similar letter drafted by Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA)
Your actions made a difference as 131 Members of the House of Representatives, including 17 Republicans and a majority of the Democrats — sent a letter to President Obama, asking him to “test whether Dr. Rouhani’s election represents a real opportunity for progress toward a verifiable, enforceable agreement on Iran’s nuclear program that ensures the country does not acquire a nuclear weapon.”
When Iran’s new President, Dr. Rouhani, called for a “policy of reconciliation and peace,” Iran’s people voted for positive change. Now it’s time for President Obama to renew diplomatic efforts toward an agreement that will satisfy the West that Iran will not acquire a nuclear weapon.
Please write your Senators now and make sure that they sign this important letter.
Thanks for taking action now.
Humbly for Peace,
Kevin Martin
Executive Director
Peace Action
PS: The letter will be sent later this week, so be sure to take action now. Urge your Senators to co-sign a letter to the President asking him to take advantage of a new moderate President in Iran to reach a diplomatic solution to our disagreements with Iran.
Please forward this message to your family, friends and co-workers! Thank you.
Begin Senator Feinstein’s letter:
Dear President Obama:
We urge you to seize the opportunity presented by the upcoming inauguration of Iran’s new president, Dr. Hassan Rouhani, by reinvigorating diplomatic efforts to secure a verifiable agreement that ensures that Iran does not develop nuclear weapons.
Since 2010 Congress has worked with your Administration to increase U.S. and international sanctions against Iran. The impact on Iran’s economy has been significant: the value of the Iranian rial against the U.S. dollar has declined more than 185 percent since 2011, unofficial estimates of inflation range as high as 70 percent, exports of oil have been halved, Iranian oil production has declined 35 percent to 2.6 million barrels per day, the Iranian economy declined by as much as 8 percent between March 2012 and March 2013 and is set to decline further in the next year, and unemployment estimates range as high as 20 percent.
With economic and political difficulties facing the Iranian people, the election of Dr. Rouhani is a clear demonstration of their desire to step away from the policies of his predecessor. Dr. Rouhani campaigned on the notion of repairing Iran’s relationship with the West, he criticized the Ahmadinejad government’s posture in nuclear negotiations, and he strongly and appropriately condemned Ahmadinejad’s abhorrent comments directed at Israel as hate rhetoric. Rouhani has also publicly warned that developing a nuclear arsenal would not provide Iran security dividends and has indicated Iran’s readiness to increase the transparency of its nuclear program. These events, taken together, provide an opening for negotiation.
As a result, we believe the U.S. should reinvigorate diplomatic efforts to determine whether Dr. Rouhani is truly willing to engage the international community. Doing so is the only way to reach a verifiable agreement, including limits on Iran’s enrichment and other sensitive nuclear activities and greater cooperation with the IAEA, that ensures that Iran will not develop nuclear weapons.
We believe that the United States should make it clear that existing bilateral and multilateral sanctions against Iran can only be lifted through progress at the negotiating table, and only if Iran takes proportionate steps that would sufficiently demonstrate its commitment to forgoing nuclear weapons. While a comprehensive resolution to the nuclear impasse may prove elusive in the near term, presenting Iran with intermediate measures to make progress could be the best approach for determining whether the Iranian government is serious.
Our nation’s security and the stability of the Middle East depend upon the resolution of this long standing dispute. As you examine America’s options on Iran over the next several months, we stand ready to work with your administration toward a peaceful settlement.
Sincerely,
I did not consider the previous leaders as hardliners- they were always facing new threats from Obama, who is of a different muslim sect as those outgoing Iranians. By the way- “verifiable agreement” was obtained by the United Nations- but not accepted by Obama who wanted only his appointees to inspect Iran- he said. But then Obama did not send anybody to inspect Iran.
To KevinMartin: Diplomacy does not mean keep on trying until Kevin Martin gets the results Kevin Martin wants. If you do not accept a compromise you are as much a dictator as anybody else.
I would offer that Iran is indeed maneuvering on the nuclear issue as part of an overall effort to portray itself as intent on a fresh start and get relief from international sanctions. However, its long-term strategic aim is to continue to develop its nuclear capability regardless of what the West wants. Khamenei has decreed it a national imperative for Iran to become a nuclear capable nation and be able to assert the weight nuclear weapons give it in the wider region, especially as an offset to Israel and Saudi Arabia. Events transpiring in Syria and Egypt only reinforce Khamenei’s belief that Iran needs to move forward aggressively and this diplomatic offensive is designed to buy the time necessary to reach the point of no return in refining and enriching enough uranium to construct initial weapons. Make no mistake that any tea leaf reading of Iran must begin and end with Khamenei’s wishes.
It is your OPINION that he is going from “nuclear capable” to “nuclear weapons”. It is the OPINION of you and others that is what is holding up talks because the US is sticking with the ASSERTION that nuclear weapons is the goal-evidence of Iran producing and selling enriched nuclear material is not accepted by thr US- that is how guys like get the idea of nuclear weapons are Iran’s goal. The last set of inspectors were kicked out of Iran because they did not include in their reports the sales of nuclear material to outside organizations for nuclear energy plants and research- that is considered lying by omission by Iran. I consider that action lying by omission. Why the lying by the inspectors? Israel and the US are competitors in the sale of processed nuclear material. That is why Israel and the US are trying to stop Iran’s nuclear work. By the way- I should be directly opposed to the present government because the Shah and his wife and sisters were good friends who worked on some small projects designed to help the women in the arab world-but, when I hear people like you spewing garbage about Iran I step up. Victims of liars do get my best.
Yup, we’re offering our on opinions here and yours and mine are no less valid or speculative than each other. But let’s hope there is some common ground. For example, I believe in a nuclear free world. I also believe in secular, democracies. I believe in a guarantee of personal freedoms and liberties and believe people should be able to exercise their religion, sexuality or pursuit of profit without interference from government. Given Iran’s rule by theocracy and its desire to spread its particular brand of conservative, fundamentalist strain of Shi’ite beliefs, I would prefer they not be able to develop nuclear weapons capability, but that’s just my opinion.