The following resolution was initiated by NY Evangelicals, Dr. Paul de Vries, president, in collaboration with the NY Board of Rabbis, Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, executive director, and the Southern Baptist’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, Dr. Richard Land, president. 

Write Iran@NYDivinitySchool.org to join in endorsing this resolution.

All people who agree with this strict double-sanction approach should immediately

contact the White House, the State Department and also their Senators and Congressperson.

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Stop Nuclear Iran

We live in critical times.  The most elemental protections of life, liberty and peace are at risk.  Of special concern are the grave threats of Iran against people of all ethnicities and religions, including all the peoples of the United States, Israel, Iran’s neighbors and many other nations. 

Physically, a nuclear Iran would endanger billions of people in the Middle East, Europe and Asia.  Economically, a nuclear Iran would threaten the entire earth.  Now it is urgent for all in the global community to act.

We urge all governments to impose strict sanctions immediately on Iran because:

1.      Iran is the “world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism,” according to the US State Department.  Who can doubt its continuing murderous intentions?

 

2.      Militarily, Iran is strongly motivated, since it has tens of thousands of special ops forces in neighboring Iraq and a million forces on the border.  Is a nuclear weapon too tempting for military superiority?

 

3.      Historically, after 1,000 years of domination from Sunni Arabs and Ottoman Turks, Iran’s Shiite regime could finally dominate with nuclear weaponry.  To respond, many of the Gulf Arab states—all Sunni—would pursue nuclear weapons, and a nuclear arms race would ensue in the world’s largest oil region, already unstable.  How important is it now to avoid another world war?

 

4.      Politically, President Ahmadinejad was chosen by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to revive the declining Islamic Revolution.  Military action against Iran could kill masses of people, create major disruption, and possibly even strengthen the ruling militant Shia against Iran’s new reform leaders and youth attracted to human rights.  Strict sanctions now are far more preferred, with any military action as the last resort.  What steps can best enable Iran’s masses against this regime?

 

5.      Religiously, Iran’s Shia leaders are earnestly paving the way for the purported return of their “12th Imam,” expansion of their Islamic Revolution, and total confrontation with Israel and the world.  Khamenei and Ahmadinejad are messianically-inclined leaders that even view chaos as a good thing that will enable their “12th Imam” and one-world Moslem domination.  Are religious liberty and peace important enough to use strict sanctions to stop this threat now?

 

6.      Iran brutalized its own people in an election farce early summer 2009—killing fellow Iranians who speak out for human rights.  Do we want this regime to dominate the entire Middle East?

 

7.      Economically, possible control of 50% of the world’s oil reserves—and oil access and prices—greatly benefits Iran.  Could such an imminent danger to world economies be more obvious?   

 

8.      Iran’s regime masterfully lies to the world concerning its actual nuclear programs.  How can we put all our trust in continuing diplomacy and multilateral agreements?

9.      After denying the Holocaust, Iran’s president prepares openly and candidly to perpetrate another Holocaust.  Is there a clearer case to apply our “Never again!” vow?

10.  After flouting all related United Nations’ resolutions, Iran continues to dominate and manipulate the diplomacy game.  Who has the courage and skill to change this diplomacy game?

In preparing for the next diplomatic opportunities, we urge all life-affirming, liberty-loving, peace-seeking peoples to speak up about these core values, and to immediately apply targeted strict sanctions on Iran, including these two suggested by some American Congressional leaders—both (a) to make diplomacy effectual and (b) to encourage the newly-conceived, courageous human rights movements within Iran:

ü  Sanctioning any bank that is even indirectly working with Iran’s banks—so that international financial transactions with banks continuing to do business with Iran’s banks would cease.

ü  Sanctioning any business or government that exports refined petroleum to Iran.

Such actions could quickly damage Iran’s economy, shrink the regime’s domestic popularity, provoke real diplomacy, and engender significant steps toward ending the Iran regime’s murderous pursuit of nuclear weapons.  Leading nations should then engage in effectual diplomacy, resulting in enforced guarantees of an Iran without weapons of mass destruction, nuclear or otherwise. 

Time is critical.  We urge all to (1) repent earnestly of our own failings, (2) pray fervently for divine wisdom and aid, (3) speak boldly to decision makers, and (4) act effectually for life, liberty and peace—for ourselves and our children, for all our fellow humans, made in God’s image, and for future generations on every continent.

 

 

 

All who agree with this strict double-sanction approach should immediately

contact the White House and their Senators and Congressperson.