Experts Call to “Reinvigorate” Diplomacy and Engagement with Iran

The National Iranian American Council released a letter Thursday, signed by a variety of Middle East experts and human rights and democracy advocates including POMED’s Executive Director Stephen McInerney, calling on the Obama administration to “reinvigorate” its diplomacy and engagement with Iran as the upcoming round of multilateral nuclear talks draws near: “Diplomacy is the only sustainable means of preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, avoiding the dangerous folly of military confrontation in the Middle East, and enabling progress in other critical areas of U.S. interest, such as Afghanistan and the human rights situation within Iran.”  The letter calls for engaging Iran in areas “beyond the nuclear file,” such as human rights, to create a “better climate for progress” on the nuclear issue.  The U.S. should not “hold progress in one area hostage” contingent upon resolution of other issues.