Iranians Against U.S. Intervention

Dear CSCE Commissioners,

We, a group of concerned Iranians in Iran and its diaspora, are writing this letter to ask you to represent our voices in the June 9th 2005 hearing, THE IRAN CRISIS: A TRANSATLANTIC RESPONSE. Due to geographical constraints, many of us cannot be present in this hearing, but hope that this letter will be among the testimonies that will be read to address the human rights crisis in Iran.

As Iranians who support democratic movements in Iran, we strongly oppose any U.S. military or monetary intervention in Iran. We do not believe that the rhetoric of regime change through U.S. support for dissident groups and individuals will benefit the development of democracy in Iran. Conversely, it is our opinion, based on our lived experiences and expertise, that such an intervention will only halt the possibility of democratic movements and will deteriorate the social freedom of the Iranian people. Furthermore, we are strongly against the imposition of economic sanctions on Iran and believe that sanctions will only harm the people, and not the Iranian government. We are afraid that the decayed Manichean logic of some opposition groups may overlook the intricacies of the political situation in Iran today. The emerging social movements in Iran carry promising potentials and any kind of U.S. intervention will impede the activities of these movements. Unfortunately, due to lack of access, the only voices that seem to be represented in hearings such as this, are those of a limited group of elites who are not in touch with the reality of every day lives of the Iranian people. We ask you, in the spirit of human rights, to represent our voices. To do otherwise will be a violation of our rights as members of the international community, and will be a disservice to the ethos of representative democracy.