Activists, teachers, Jews, Christians and Muslims against Trump: No to war on Iran

A cross-cutting front calls on European governments not to participate in the Warsaw Warsaw Conference in February, commissioned by Washington. An appointment to trace the guidelines of an "unnecessary conflict" with Teheran. In its place a great "peace meeting" on the Middle East open to all. The online petition.

Teheran (AsiaNews) - Intellectuals, activists, politicians and religious leaders - Christians, Muslims, Jews - from all over the world are challenging the hard-line adopted by United States and the Trump administration from the outset on nuclear power. In response to the conference on the Middle East in Warsaw (Poland) on February 13 and 14, strongly urged by Washington to feed the war machine on Iran, they in turn propose a "peace meeting" on the Middle East open to all.

According to the activists, who have launched an online petition (click here to join) the unreported purpose of the meeting sponsored by the United States is to "prepare the ground" for an "unnecessary conflict" with the Islamic Republic . Against the policies of war wanted by the White House, they hope for a diplomatic pressure from world governments on Washington to reopen on the Iranian nuclear program and loosen sanctions.

In May, US President Donald Trump decided to withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) signed by his predecessor, Barack Obama. The US leader followed this with the toughest sanctions in history against Iran.

The decision had an immediate negative impact on the Iranian economy – noted by studies of  the International Monetary Fund (IMF) – causing a serious drop in oil exports, the main goal of the second part of the sanctions.

In the online campaign the promoters turn to European governments, asking them to boycott the "war conference" wanted by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Warsaw next month. The head of American diplomacy recently announced a joint operation between Poland and the United States, which will hold a meeting at a ministerial level.

We need peace alternatives, warn activists, intellectuals and religious leaders, also and above all to revive the Iranian economy and to ease the sanctions that are crippling the population.  AsiaNews sources in Iran confirm that the situation is "serious" and many can not be cured "because of the lack of money and medicine". A theme that was also at the center of the recent meeting between Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans, and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, the architect of the nuclear agreement disavowed by Trump.

According to Pompey's intentions, the Polish summit should bring together 70 representatives of nations from Asia, Africa, Europe, Oceania and the Middle East. Among the primary objectives on the agenda ensuring that Teheran is no longer "a destabilizing force". According to the activists US policies are in fact responsible for teh regional instability, from the cancellation of the nuclear agreement, to creating greater insecurity and fueling the winds of war.

Signatories of the appeal include Jamal Adbi, head of the National Iranian American Council, Professor Foad Izadi of the University of Teheran, Gerry Condon, president of Veterans for Peace and Elaine Scarry, professor at Harvard, Scotty Bruer executive director of Peace Now, Fr. Geroge Makhlouf of the Palestinian Christians Acting for Peace, and the Jew Seth Morrison of the Jewish Voice for Peace. Among the Jewish personalities there is also Rebecca Vilkomerson, of Jewish Voice for Peace, the Muslim Hassan El-Tayyab, co-director of Foreign Policy, several members of the Scottish Parliament, the Japanese Junko Abe of Nuclear Free Ehime and the Philippine Corazon Valdez- Fabros, vice-president of the International Peace Bureau.

• iran
• united states
• european union