Thank the 20 Lawmakers Who Stood Up to the War Lobby

On Wednesday, House leadership ignored the Iranian peoples’ call for change and moderation and voted for new punishing sanctions on the Iranian people. But twenty lawmakers showed courage and leadership by voting no, inviting attacks from the pro-war lobby.  Other representatives who share their views were unwilling to take that risk.  Those twenty representatives need […]

Escalating Iran Sanctions Could Damage Hopes for New Beginning

On Monday, July 1 new Executive and Congressional sanctions on Iran, put in place before Iran’s recent elections, came into force. These new sanctions target the shipping and automobile sectors, financial transactions involving gold, and holdings of Iran’s currency, the rial. These latest sanctions come amid a growing debate over whether sanctions could undermine diplomatic opportunities […]

Keith Ellison: We do not need a third war, engage Iran diplomatically

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) went on Morning Joe this morning to convey an important message: engage Iran. “We just got out of one war, we’re trying to get out of another one, we do not need a third…diplomacy is the right option,” he […]

U.S. Decides to Punish Iranian Regime, Not People

Cross-posted from the Huffington Post Last week countless protesters across Iran made yet another brave stand against their government, in an event that had political reverberations across the world. The continued demonstration of strength by the Iranian opposition has not only showed the increasing isolation of Iran’s ruling elite, but also helped cement a dramatic […]

Divided House Committee Passes Iran Sanctions

A divided House Foreign Affairs Committee passed the Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act (IRPSA) today by voice vote. The lead sponsor of the bill and Chairman of the committee, Howard Berman (D-CA), said his overriding concern is preventing Iran from “acquiring the capacity to acquire nuclear arms.” IRPSA would expand unilateral, extraterritorial sanctions and target […]

Opposition Building Against Sanctions Legislation

Rep. Ellison has laid down an important marker the week before the House Foreign Affairs Committee plans to vote on new unilateral sanctions against Iran. He’s against it: Fifteen years of sanctions on Iran have taught us one important lesson: They have not produced the intended results. More sanctions are unlikely to produce results now. […]