Just now, negotiators in Vienna confirmed that they could not reach an agreement by the July 20 deadline, and instead have agreed to a 4 month extension of the talks.
This shows that the talks are tough – and that the negotiators are committed to get a deal, even if it may take a bit longer.
But this won’t be easy. The extension provides opponents of a deal with an opportunity to derail the talks altogether.
Already on Monday, there will be a push in Congress to impose new sanctions. If they pass, the escalation game will start anew, and the window for peace will start to close.
Let’s be clear what is at stake:
- With a deal, we can finally take the threat of war off the table, end the economic warfare that is punishing the Iranian people, and give Iran’s pro-democracy and human rights advocates the space they need to advance their cause.
- Without a deal, more draconian sanctions and even military conflict become much more likely, and Iranian hardliners will once again use the threat of war to repress those who demand respect for their human rights and dignity.
NIAC is leading the charge to protect the a deal: engaging Members of Congress directly and organizing grassroots pressure, publishing two reports in the last week, holding four major briefings in the past three weeks alone, and helping to build and coordinate coalitions of national organizations who support diplomacy.
We should have no illusions about what we are up against. The Nation Magazine just revealed that the budgets of the pro-war lobbies and compared that to the budget of NIAC and some pro-dipomacy groups. We are outspent with a factor of 9-1.
Yet we have defeated the war lobby in the past – and we can do it again!
But without your support, the proponents of war will win. Don’t let that happen.
We are aiming to raise $100,000 by the end of this month to double our work to secure peace. Please contribute what you can today: $50, $100 or an amount right for you. It’s 100% tax-deductible.
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