Words from, and on, Iran

This has been a powerful week of peace efforts concerning Iran. While Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made a historic visit to Iraq earlier this week, the Fellowship of Reconciliation's sixth civilian diplomacy delegation to Iran continued its travels around the country -- and began preparing for a meeting with former Iranian President Khatami. Delegation member Helen Lindsay of Ridgewood, New Jersey wrote from Tehran:

This is an amazing trip. Lots to see and learn. It really is true that people are anxious to talk with us. You can't go out on the street without someone eager to talk about something. Yesterday two women of indeterminate age and dressed appropriately asked for a ride on our bus from Kashan to Tehran, about two hours. They were interested in our whole group and want to come to our
hotel to talk with the women, maybe tomorrow. And tomorrow we are also scheduled to meet with the past President of Iran, Khatemi. So there is great variety in our exchanges.

Here at home, progressive foreign policy analyst Phyllis Bennis has just published a new booklet (available next week from the FOR Bookstore for just $5.00!), titled Iran in the Crosshairs: How to Prevent Washington's Next War. Meanwhile, the national "Folly of Attacking Iran" speaking tour is nearing its conclusion after a month of engagements across the country. The main speaker on the tour, international journalist and best-selling author Stephen Kinzer, will be delivering a congressional briefing on Iran at 12:30 p.m. today on Capitol Hill. The briefing is being hosted by Representatives Wayne Gilchrest and Gregory Meeks, co-chairs of the Congressional Dialogue Caucus. (Contact a staff member in Rep. Gilchrest's office at 202-225-5311 if you're in DC and interested in attending.)

Kinzer was a featured guest on Amy Goodman's nationally-syndicated "Democracy Now!" radio program this week. You can read, listen to, or even watch the program by clicking here.

Another speaking tour on Iran, facilitated by FOR, comes to the New York region this week. In Manhattan on Friday evening (6-8 p.m.) and in Albany on Saturday afternoon (2-4 p.m.), former U.N. arms inspector Scott Ritter will join two Iranian-born educators, professor and author Fatemeh Keshavarz and filmmaker Jahangir Golestan-Parast, in conversation about building ties between our two conflicted countries. Golestan-Parast's touching documentary, Bam 6.6, which describes a devastating 2003 earthquake in Iran and the human connections that emerged in its aftermath, will also be screened at the events. Contact Leila Zand for more information.

Finally, but by no means least of all, Iranian bicyclists Nasim Yousefi & Jafar Edrisi continue spreading their message of environmental care and peacemaking during their six-month trip around the United States
. They have been in the Carolinas in the past month, and e-mailed FOR this week to share links to a newspaper story in Wilmington, North Carolina and an online video interview with them. We hope that FOR members in the Deep South and the Midwest will e-mail Nasim and Jafar and invite to host them in the coming weeks and months, as they continue their trip!