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Iran’s Civil Society Movement Against Sanctions

The government of Iran might soon be grappling with how to manage a popular mobilization against US and international sanctions.
Iranian rial (R) and U.S. dollars banknotes are seen as a money exchange vendor counts Iraqi Dinars banknotes at his shop in Baghdad January 30, 2012. In the money changing shops dotted around Baghdad's Karrada district, Iraqi merchants dabble in many currencies, but these days some joke that banknotes from neighbouring Iran and Syria are only worth plastering on windows as decorations. Picture taken January 30, 2012. To match Feature IRAQ-SANCTIONS/    REUTERS/Saad Shalash (IRAQ - Tags: BUSINESS) - RTR2X5U
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In an unprecedented move, three prominent Iranian economists — Saeed Leylaz, Mousa Ghaninejad and Mohammad Mehdi Behkish — have advocated the launch of a campaign under the banner of a "civil movement against sanctions." Ghaninejad, in a July 13 interview, told Tejarat-e Farda, “Both from a perspective of international law and human rights, US unilateral sanctions [against Iran] have no legal ground.”

Ghaninejad argues that by imposing sanctions on Iran, the United States does not serve the cause of peace because it forbids trade, while trade in itself is a major element in establishing peace between nations. “The more economic interdependence between nations the more peaceful international relations become. In fact, the main reason for the formation of many international institutions, specifically the United Nations and the organizations under its aegis, is to develop economic ties between countries in order to make the relations between them more peaceful.”

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