Iran

The Iran Nuclear Deal

This was a huge success for the peace movement, and UFPJ was at the center of national efforts to support negotiations with Iran concerning its nuclear program. While Republicans in Congress opposed engaging in diplomatic relations with the country that was once labeled part of an “Axis of Evil,” UFPJ promoted a campaign, with allied organizations, to support the agreement that will require international inspections and ensure that Iran’s nuclear program remains peaceful. Early on, when it was still unclear whether Congress would block diplomacy and perhaps even support war with Iran, UFPJ promoted a petition drive, which gained tens of thousands of signatures, generated large numbers of calls to Congress, held a national briefing conference call, and provided educational resources. This victory for diplomacy could lead to other non-military solutions to conflict in the region. UFPJ is currently working with many of the organizations that we partnered with on the Iran nuclear deal campaign to address the Syrian civil war and refugee crisis.

• Success on Iran Agreement is Owed to Member Groups Around the Country

• Iran Agreement: No Time for Silence!

• UFPJ Update: Supporting the Iran Deal & Working Beyond the Bomb

• National Conference Call on the Iran Deal, with Phyllis Bennis, Tyler Cullis, & Lara Friedman

• Iran Deal Resources (Articles & Links)

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Below are some past links and resources that we have gathered on supporting peace with Iran.
A Collection of Articles About the Possibility of War with Iran

• Raising Their Voices: Iranian Civil Society Reflections on the Military Option: If a war were to take place right now, the atmosphere would definitely become more restricted and more limitations would be imposed upon intellectuals, human rights activists, social elites and students. If the West wishes to realize democracy, freedom, and human rights worldwide it should consider options other than war.
• Madness and Disaster: No War with Iran! By Bill Flether
• Iran Primer from U.S. Institute for “Peace” some good information, but must be read with a grain of salt as the perspective comes from a U.S. use of force perspective.
• Panetta says Iran enriching uranium but no decision yet on proceeding with a nuclear weapon – February 16,2012 Associated Press article
• Senators pledge to back Obama if he attacks Iran to halt nuclear program – February 16, 2012 article from The Hill’s Defense Blog
• 32 senators call for ‘no containment’ strategy for Iran – February 16, 2012 article from Foreign Policy Magazine
• Does AIPAC Want War? Lieberman “Capability” Red Line May Tip AIPAC’s Hand– by Robert Naiman, February 22, 2012, Huffington Post
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The US, Israel, and the War on Iran: Don’t Let Them Fool Us Again! – by Rami El-Amine, February 10, 2012, Left Turn Magazine
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We’ve seen the threats against Iran before – by Phyllis Bennis, February 19, 2012, Al Jazeera
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Will AIPAC and Bibi get their war? – by MJ Rosenberg, February 12, 2012, Al Jazeera
• Why Aren’t We Negotiating With Iran? Foreign Policy: Michael M. Walt
• Is Iran the Root of All Evil Glenn Greenwald: Salon

Other Actions From Member Groups

• Peace Action: Petition to Stop War with Iran
• Code Pink: We Need Diplomacy With Iran Not War
• FCNL: FAQ on Iran and Urge your Rep. to support HR 4173, the Prevent Iran from Acquiring Nuclear Weapons and Stop War with Iran Act”

• Fact Sheets: General Information: CIA Fact Book,
•  No War With Iran Occupy Sacramento
• Statement for the Record on the Worldwide Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community for the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence – In this January 31, 2012 testimony to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on the most recent Worldwide Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community, Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper said, “We continue to assess Iran is keeping open the option to develop nuclear weapons in part by developing various nuclear capabilities that better position it to produce such weapons, should it choose to do so.  We do not know, however, if Iran will eventually decide to build nuclear weapons.”

Books

Iran in the Crosshairs: How to Prevent Washington’s Next War, a Primer by Phyllis Bennis, Institute for Policy Studies – Though written in 2008, this document is still extremely relevant and provides a lot of good background information on U.S. foreign policy towards Iran, as well as providing facts about Iran’s nuclear capability and the role of Israel.

Other Networks

Network of Iranian Labor Units: NILU is an independent labor organization involved in several unionization drives in Iran. In addition, we are dedicated to providing assistance to Iran’s fledging trade union movement with expertise, resources, information, and international trade union support. This is done through our website

FCNL’s Iran page:  To keep up to date with what initiatives in Congress on war with Iran