An open letter signed by more than 200 Iranians living inside and outside Iran, asks E.U. officials to end their efforts in assisting the Iranian government, after Donald Trump imposed a second round of sanctions on Iran earlier this month. The letter, which was sent to the European Union’s headquarters, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, ambassadors of various countries, and other individuals and organizations, is still gathering signatures.
The U.S. government re-imposed sanctions on the Islamic Republic after pulling out of the nuclear deal, in a move that America claims is designed to alter the Iranian government’s behavior. Opponents of the sanctions have suggested that America’s strategy is really an attempt at destabilizing Iran, with a view to overthrowing the current regime.
Europe and America remain in a deadlock over the best way forward on Iran. While the U.S. has chosen to impose sanctions on Iran’s economy, affecting its oil, shipping and banking industries, E.U. officials have kept Iran at the negotiating table, offering to find ways around the sanctions. In August, European officials, who are trying to keep the nuclear deal alive, offered to put together a financial package to help Iran sustain itself economically. A further attempt at offering support in September led to the E.U. exploring the idea of setting up a special purpose vehicle, to facilitate trade with Iran. The E.U.’s slow progress in delivering these initiatives has frustrated oil executives and businessmen, who believe the European Union’s attempts at helping the country’s troubled economy are nothing more than symbolic gestures to show its support for the nuclear deal and to keep Rouhani on side.
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The open letter reflects the view that the E.U.’s support for Iran’s government is misplaced, and will do nothing to improve Iranian officials’ behavior both at home and on the world stage, and will disproportionately impact Iranians living inside the country. The list of signatories include media personality Mahbobeh Hosseinpour, whose brother Ardeshir Hosseinpour, was a nuclear scientist whose death has been linked to both the Iranian government and Mossad; Behieh Jailani, a UNESCO advisor, human rights activist and former political prisoner; Fred Saberi, a Middle East analyst, Swedish-Iranian politician and activist; Sheila Farhang, a legal expert and former political prisoner in Iran; Zaman Feyli, a journalist and refugee in the Netherlands who has been persecuted by the Iranian government for his political activism; Elahe Rahroniya, an actress and writer who was also persecuted for criticizing the Iranian government; Reza Parchizadeh, an international political theorist and analyst and Hayedeh Tavakkoli, Secretary General of The Constitutional Party of Iran.
Open Letter to EU
Do Not Assist the Islamic Republic
Dear Delegates of the European Union,
As you are aware, the Islamic Republic, for its nearly forty years in power, has only produced violence against Iran, the Middle East and the rest of the world.
Today, as the Iranian people and the world’s democratic movements have placed the Iranian regime under pressure, the European Union is expected, as a safeguard for democracy, to discontinue any kind of support for the Islamic Republic so that European countries no longer witness the jihadist movements backed by the Iranian regime.
The emergence of suspected terrorists in France, Germany, Belgium, Austria, and recently Denmark has seriously threatened the security of all citizens as well as undermining the moral basis of life in those countries. As such, the member states of the EU are currently targeted by the assassination plans of the intelligence agencies of the Islamic Republic and terrorist groups that are in their service.
Therefore, we, the signatories of this letter, from various walks of life but all opponents of the Islamist regime in Iran and advocates of peace, stability and democracy in Iran and the world, call upon the European Union to discontinue any kind of assistance to and maintenance of the brutal and reactionary regime in Iran.
Sincerely,
- Fred Saberi -Sweden
- Zamn Feyli- Netherlands
- Reza Parchizadeh- USA
- Said Rahbar- Sweden
- Shayan Arya- USA
- Maryam Moazenzadeh- Netherlands
- Roya Araghi – Canada
- Faryar Asadian- Germany
- Bahieh Jaillani – France
- Masoumeh Mohammadinia- Japan
- Hayedeh Tavakoli – UK
- Hamidreza Samimipour- Switzerland
- Parivash Saadati- USA
- Namdar Hussainy – Sweden
- Avideh Rafaëla Motmaenfar – Canada
- Masoumeh Norouzzad – Canada
- Hoshang Asadi – Sweden
- Sajjad Haghpanah- Sweden
- Amir Ardelan – France
- Faria Salimi- Iran
- Amir Amiri – Germany
- Rozita Moneyron- France
- Afsaneh Chatran- Finland
- Fariba Majdnia – Denmark
- Fatmeh Minaei- USA
- Maly Rouzbeh- USA
- Alireza Shagaghi- Germany
- Satrap Manteghi- USA
- Nahid Manteghi- USA
- Hamid Momtaz Sanati- Switzerland
- Shole Pakravan- Germany
- Bersabeh Bagheri- USA
- Fariba Amanzadeh – France
- Roya Araghi – Canada
- Masoud Ebrahimzadeh- Germany
- Siamak Oskuei- Australia
- Raiz Mogimi – UK
- Masoumeh Norouzzad – Canada
- Negar Motamed- Canada
- Ebrahim Ramshini- Germany
- Fariba Sadjadi – Belgium
- Azizeh Sabouri – UK
- Forough Zabihi- usa
- Teymour Shakari – Norway
- Leila Yazdani- Sweden
- Vahab Kord Garchaloo- Sweden
- Ali Moghadam Rahmani – Sweden
- Arash Parsa- Sweden
- Mohamad Ahmadi- Sweden
- Hoshang Parsa – Sweden
- Aptin Zavareh- Sweden
- Neda Amin- Israel
- Behroz Aryabod -France
- Shahryar Mohamadi- France
- Ali Reza Golizadeh- Germany
- Fahime Mohamadi- Germany
- Ali Khodadadi- Germany
- Reza Sarshar- France
- Porya Mansore- Italy
- Aresh Aryamer- UK
- Hosin Rostayi – UK
- Bahar Moradi- UK
- Susan Moradi- UK
- Abdola Karmani- UK
- Hohshan Jabari- Italy
- Roya Abadani- Turkey
- Fatemeh Ahanien- Netherlands
- Shiva Moghadam- Germany
- Negin Hamedi – Sweden
- Niloofar Hamedi- Sweden
- Nima Khanjani- Sweden
- Shokhofeh Azar Masouleh – Turkey
- Forough Zabihi – USA
- Atefeh Tabesh- Canada
- Samie Sobati- Germany
- Yousof Sobati- Germany
- Kosar Sobati- Germany
- Parastoo Mahini- Germany
- Nahid Haddadi- UK
- Ladan Ramezani- Sweden
- Sara Safiri- Sweden
- Genous Sassani- Denmark
- Fariba Shirvany – Sweden
- Abdolhamid Masoumi- Sweden
- Shahriar Bahrami- UK
- Lida Sheybani- UK
- Ladan Sheybani- UK
- Mehrdad Malakzadeh – Germany
- Niloufar Malekzadeh – Germany
- Manzar Taimouri- UK
- Kourosh Kasra- UK
- Mira Nassiri- Canada
- Banafsheh Agasi- UK
- Sharareh Shirvani – USA
- Nazanin Pakizehmanesh- UK
- Hassan Keshvary – Germany
- Nooshin Yavari- Iran
- Payam Shafahi- Iran
- Shahram Shafahi- Iran
- Hamid Manteghi- USA
- Arezoo Manteghi- Iran
- George Zomorodi – UK
- Ladan Taraz – Sweden
- Parastoo Manteghi – USA
- Sara Sadeghian – Netherlands
- Shiva Daneshfar Iran
- Shida Daneshfar- Iran
- Parastoo Amiry – UK
- Ali Mohseni – USA
- Taghi Amouzegar- France
- Naser Hassany – France
- Maryam Naderi- Germany
- Sirous Pakdel- USA
- Siavash Latif- UK
- Afshin Payravi- UK
- Gstel Sadre- Belgium
- Mohsen Atarodi- USA
- Naser Mostashar- Germany
- Alireza Morovati- USA
- Mahmoud Imani – France
- Dana Firouzi- Canada
- Zahra Nouri- Canada
- Mahdiyeh Farahani- Germany
- Reza Saba- USA
- Khosrow Zarefarid- USA
- Zartosht Ahmadi Ragheb- Iran
- Ali( Bardia ) Sapand Bakhtiari- USA
- Setareh Mihandoost- Denmark
- Negar Motamed-USA
- Sheila Farhang – Netherlands
- Daniel Tousi – USA
- Mohammad Hejabi – Netherlands
- Elahe Rahroniya- Sweden
- Farahmand Kalayeh- USA
- Shan Ghanbari- USA
- Amir Ezati – Finland
- Sipan Silwaneyi- Australia
- Viktoria Azad- Sweden
- Fazael Azizan- USA
- Babak Asiaie- Germany
- Shahram Darvish – Germany
- Farhad Taleshi- UK
- Salim Fani- USA
- Jamshid Ohebsion- Iran
- Reza Mostofi – UK
- Sirwan Mansouri- Turkey
- Farzad Azizi – Sweden
- Walt Martin- USA
- Sacha Sadigh – USA
- Mitra Dolikhani- Canada
- Akram Ebrahimi- Iran
- Kendra Malczyk- USA
- Shabnam Assadollahi- Canada
- Ahmad Jalali – Germany
- Shahram Banihashem- Canada
- Pari Zati- Canada
- Cyrus Assadollahi- Canada
- Shahrzad Nojoumi- Canada
- Amir Vala – Canada
- Maryam Moazami- Germany
- Golnar Soroosh- Australia
- Afshin Khosravi Bakhtiari- Australia
- Ahmad Moghimi- France
- Omid Karami- UK
- Hamid Momtaz Sanati- Sweden
- Mehdi Ghatei – Australia
- Masoomeh Lorestani- Australia
- Zina Tehrani- USA
- Farzad Jalalian- Norway
- Mamdou Safaei- USA
- Shahryar Parsipour- USA
- Zahra Nouri- Canada
- Maryam Ipak- USA
- Afshin Payravi- UK
- Hamid Sharifi – Germany
- Shirin Najafizadeh- Turkey
- Homayoun Naderifar – Australia
- Saadi Azimian- USA
- Reza Vazi- Turkey
- Hooshang Lahooti – Australia
- Fereshteh Naji Habib Zadeh – USA
- Aliakbar Omidmehr – Denmark
- Jahanshah Rashidian- Germany
- Aario Shahbany – Germany
- Fatemeh Jamshidmalicheh- Turkey
- Reza Negahdari- France
- Siavash Abghari- USA
- Babak Mani- Iran
- Nasser Darabi- USA
- Pirooz Mohebi – USA
- Mc Amino Arya- Switzerland
- Merikh Moradi- Germany
- Hamidreza Bourhani – Belgium
- Farnoed Azari – Belgium
- Maryam Salehi- Germany
- Shirin Karimi- USA
- Golnar Javahery- USA
- Mitra Salar- USA
- Shapour Bahrami – USA
- Paya Rastgoonia- France
- Reza Hosseinbor – UK
- Esfandyar Gholamrezaie – Iran
- Manochehr Aslanpour – Norway
- Kameran Mirwaysi – Norway
- Kambiz Soltanein – USA
- Tahmineh Bakhshak- Denmark
- Hassan Hosseini – Philippines
- Mahbobeh Hosseinpour – USA
- Mina Iranmanesh – Iran
