Sunday July 6th
NEWS RELEASE & CALL ON ALL PEACE LOVING PEOPLE

International Day of Action Against War and Sanctions On Iran
Saturday August 2nd 2008
2:00 pm
Vancouver Art Gallery (Robson at Howe)

Recent news reports have released information on a congressional hearing in US Congress in late 2007, in which Congress agreed to a request from President Bush to fund a major escalation of covert operations against Iran. This is the latest of the US campaign to attack Iran in order to establish the US's further domination and hegemony in the Middle East. The Iranian Community Against War (ICAW) and Mobilization Against War & Occupation (MAWO) condemn the congressional resolution and are responding to the international call out by the "Stop War on Iran" committee in New York by organizing a rally against war on Iran in Vancouver on Saturday August 2nd 2008.

The Congressional resolution allowed up to 400 million in US dollars in covert spending for activities such as funding mercenary groups inside the country as well as spying on Iran. In one section of this non-binding resolution, US planning to cut off and strangle the Iranian people through different stages of sanctions, some of which have already been imposed are blatantly exposed. "…Congress - demands that the President initiate an international effort to immediately and dramatically increase the economic, political, and diplomatic pressure on Iran to verifiably suspend its nuclear enrichment activities by, [among other things], prohibiting the export to Iran of all refined petroleum products; imposing stringent inspection requirements on all persons, vehicles, ships, planes, trains, and cargo entering or departing Iran; and prohibiting the international movement of all Iranian officials not involved in negotiating the suspension of Iran's nuclear program."

"In addition to Iran's neighboring countries (Iraq and Afghanistan) being brutally occupied by the US, this naval blockade and sanctions is an obvious escalation of war on Iran in order to cripple the country economically." Stated Ali Yerevani, organizer with the Iranian Community Against War (ICAW). "We have seen how the US used the sanctions to kill over one and a half million people in Iraq, many of whom were women and children, in order to bring the country to its knees before to invasion and occupation of Iraq. Taking into account Iran's huge population, imagine the devastation that is impending while the US Congress pushes for this non-binding congressional resolution" said Payvand Pejvack, another organizer with ICAW.

The Iranian Community Against War (ICAW) and Mobilization Against War & Occupation (MAWO) call on all Iranian and non-Iranian people in Vancouver to join together in the form of sponsoring, endorsing and also participating in this International Day of Action, to demand "No War on Iran!" "No Sanctions on Iran!" "US Hands off Iran!"

Iranian Community Against War (ICAW) Mobilization Against War & Occupation (MAWO) www.icaw.blogspot.com | www.mawovancouver.org