Iranian nuclear reactor
Photo: AP
Iran: Intellectuals call for suspension of nuclear program
Political activists, journalists and academics call on Ahmadinejad's regime to freeze nuclear activities temporarily in exchange for suspension of economic sanction; 521 Iranian mothers drafted letter telling leaders it is they who will pay the price if US attacks
A group of 333 Iranian political activists, journalists, and academics published a declaration on Monday calling upon the Iranian regime to accept the offer of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to freeze its nuclear activities temporarily in exchange for a freezing of economic sanctions, this according to the internet website of the reformist newspaper "Rooz".
"While Israel and the White House adopt a confused stance regarding the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE), the Iranian government must also take advantage of the opportunity that was created to prepare the groundwork for strengthening peace," they wrote.
In another initiative aimed at encouraging President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to promote peace, 521 Iranian mothers drafted a letter saying, "Some elements in the regime are helping the US in its effort to gain support for its accusations against Iran.
In the letter, addressed to Iran's leadership, the mothers, including doctors, artists, lawyers and housewives, said that in the event of an American attack on the Islamic Republic, "it is the Iranian mothers who will pay the price, not the US".
"The flames of war will once again destroy our lives and the sanctions will add to our suffering," they said in the letter. "You must act to advance peace, because tomorrow it may be too late."
