Campaign by Iranian Figures Against Sanctions: 'Join Us in Unity Against Sanctions'

A number of Iranian artists, activists, cultural figures, and journalists have signed an open letter and launched a campaign against the unilateral sanctions imposed by the United States, calling on the 'people of the world' to unite with them against these sanctions. This open letter, titled 'Unity Against Sanctions,' has been shared on social media, including by Rakhshan Bani-Etemad on Twitter, and is being circulated to gather more signatures from cultural and artistic activists and other stakeholders. The signatories of the letter have described the belief that 'the result of these sanctions will be the achievement of citizenship rights and human rights, the enjoyment of freedom, and the improvement of living conditions for the Iranian people' as 'naive,' emphasizing that only 'the Iranian people will pay the price for these sanctions.' Previously, several U.S. government officials have stressed that the goal of the sanctions is not the Iranian people but rather to exert pressure on the Iranian government to change its behavior. The signatories of this open letter, who are also leading a campaign by the same name, state in their letter, published in both English and Persian, that 'policymakers will eventually leave, but the disasters resulting from their wrong actions will create a world that we and you and our children will grapple with throughout history.' Among the signatories are Asghar Farhadi, an Oscar-winning filmmaker, Rakhshan Bani-Etemad, Khosrow Sinai, Bahman Farmanara, and Kianoush Ayari. Other signatories include musicians, writers, and journalists. The letter calls on people around the world to stand in solidarity with its signatories, as they believe that 'our unity in every corner of the world and raising awareness about the disastrous consequences of the imposed conditions on the Iranian people can stop policymakers and their inhumane policies.' Previously, several other filmmakers and prominent cultural figures in Iran criticized the U.S. banking sanctions against Iran by sharing identical images of patients in hospital beds. The hashtag and slogan used in that protest movement, supported by actors such as Parviz Parastoui, Baran Kosari, Sahar Dolatshahi, Mahtab Keramati, Reza Kianian, and Habib Rezaei, was 'The Sanction Targets Me.' In all those posts and articles, there was a focus on cancer-stricken children, emphasizing that 'banking sanctions against Iran will lead to a shortage of medicine and consequently the death of cancer-stricken children.' Supporters of the 'The Sanction Targets Me' campaign joined in by writing a common phrase that 'banking sanctions are not just an action and a news item in the news agencies... banking sanctions mean the death of cancer-stricken children in Iran due to the prohibition of drug sales.' In contrast, some social media users described the coordinated action of these artists as part of the Islamic Republic's policy to counter sanctions. U.S. government officials and those involved in Washington's sanctions against Iran have insisted in recent days that the sale of food, medicine, medical equipment, and agricultural goods to Iran 'has never been and is not sanctioned.' Last Tuesday, Brian Hook, the U.S. Special Representative for Iran, reiterated in a video addressed to the Iranian people that the goal of U.S. sanctions is solely to 'change the destructive behavior' of the Islamic Republic, and these sanctions do not target humanitarian transactions such as medicine and food. However, Iranian officials claim that even banks that 'play a key role in importing food and medicine' have been sanctioned 'under the pretext of connections to the Basij through eight intermediaries.' In recent years and during previous sanctions against Iran, there have been numerous reports and news about the difficulties in importing medicine and medical equipment to Iran due to Western sanctions. For instance, Ahmed Shaheed, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, stated in November 2013 that due to sanctions, medicines for cancer, heart diseases, thalassemia, hemophilia, AIDS, and other specific illnesses have become scarce in Iran. The U.S. Treasury Department announced in July 2013 that in a new decision, the export of hundreds of medical and pharmaceutical tools, including dialysis machines, ECGs, and EEGs to Iran was permitted. However, a year after that decision, the Wall Street Journal reported that due to problems arising from banking sanctions, the issue of drug exports to Iran remained unresolved.