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.”

Meanwhile Behkish, also speaking to Tejarat-e Farda, maintained, “[Until recently] the people of Iran were not in a position to set up this movement. However, in light of the June 14 [presidential] elections, this movement can now be initiated. [Hassan Rouhani’s] election has changed the international climate in favor of Iran.” He further asserted, “The strategy of this campaign should be defined based on the principle of free trade. According to this principle, the West cannot preclude trade [between Iran and the world] simply on the basis of a claim that is not validated in any court.”

Ghaninejad is optimistic about the potential effectiveness of the campaign. He posits that since public opinion can influence government policies in the West, if his campaign is able to affect public opinion, it will certainly impinge upon sanctions policies. Ghaninejad noted, “For instance, one of the reasons that America withdrew from the Vietnam War was the emergence of the anti-war campaign from the universities in the US and Europe.”