ACTION

Mahmoud Ghaffari is on target, but Arabmard is not!

I must be reminding everyone again, THERE ARE NO SANCTIONS AGAINST HUMANITARIAN AID TO IRAN!

Faramarz jan

Ostad baba there is a limit for the gol and bolbolness of our mamaland. 

I doubt anyone in iran would be that much impressed by the genuine sense of loving the mama land so as to drive all the way to ahar and surrounding areas to deliver any help. That is really impractical expectation.

Besides, there is a real chance that they will be stopped by the basiji kiddos and all the millitary staff in the area, being demanded to give the "esme shab"...You can't just drop by and say hi , how are you officer,Love that uniform!  and find a family and hand them over youour stuff and be on your merry way! There is a chance that at any point you will be stopped and told: joooooon?:)

Be in noon o mast a nist amoo:))

Everything in iran has arithmetics 

Hafez for Beginners

Actually, these organizations have come together on other occasions too (//www.cair.com/Portals/0/pdf/apple-letter.pdf), for example, in the case of the Apple Co. discriminating against an Iranian-American, but unfortunately, here on IC, some people focus only narrowly and the main focus is lost.

You are welcome.

Signed! (by 10 Iranian-American Organizations)

MM: Thanks for posting the letter.

10 Iranian-American organizations have signed. Wow !!!!!!!!!! IABA (Iranian American Bar Association) drafted the letter that 10 organizations co-signed  and below is a passage:

"The IABA, along with

Child Foundation
Children of Persia
Havaar-Iranian Initiative Against War, Sanctions, and State Repression
Iranian Alliances Across Borders (IAAB)
Moms Against Poverty
National Iranian American Council (NIAC)
Pars Equality Center
Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA)
United For Iran

are concerned that the current United States sanctions imposed on Iran will hinder efforts to provide immediate humanitarian relief to assist these victims."

IABA's website has  a proper draft of the letter -  click on below.

//www.iaba.us/iaba-and-other-iranian-american...

10 Iranian-American organizations - probably the most prominent in the coutnry - coming together despite differences. That is wonderful and encouraging.

Jahan Pahlevan Salimi

A true Iranian

as was reported today:

"In Tehran, Karaj and Qom, thousands visited clinics late into the night to donate blood, Press TV reported, including Iran's Olympic gold medal-winning weight lifter, Behdad Salimi.

"I truly feel terrible for the people of East Azerbaijan. I want to do what I can to help them. The most important thing is to donate blood because of the shortage," he said."

//www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/14/us-iran-quake-idUSBRE87D0C120120814

faramarz jan: No need for "de-friending" !

 Since I, as a rule, tend to avoid people who love their leaders to death, purely on grounds of mental health safety related issues!

Yes,I fully agree with you on directly helping our folks back home. All the news from Iran tells me that people, completely angry with the corrupt Islamist regime's pathetic  [ir]response are taking the matters into their own hands, helping our Azari brothers and sisters. Typically sport personalities, Student gropus,etc taking the lead in collection and distribution of food, medical supplies, clothing, even search and rescue missions which regimer amazingly stopped only 24 hrs after the quake..... 

"Personal business must yield to collective interest."

.

.

Ahmadinejad and IRI's biggest lobbyist, NIAC

NIAC as any well paid lobbyist will do anything to get it sbosses mission accomplished. So now, there is an earthquake in Iran, where the
president has left his dyeing people to die, so he could go to a Muslim conference
in Saudi Arabia, but NIAC is crying for lifting the sanctions!!! If NIAC’s excuse
for lifting sanctions is for humanitarian reason, then why Ahmadinejad shows no
humanity? 

Roozbeh Jaan

You can always "de-friend" NIAC!

People who are genuinely interested in getting help to the victims can give money to their friends and relatives in Iran and ask them to drive to the scene and provide money, food and bread directly to the victims.

We don't need to ship our old clothes and blankets or our left-over toys from Toys-R-Us to Iran.

یک دل میگه برو برو! یک دل میگه نرو نرو!!

 آن گل سرخی که تریتا به اپوزیشولون داد بر اثر کم آبی اخیر در آمریکا در حافظه رایانه پژمرد!!

I wear an Omega watch

Is it possible to "unsign"??

Since Signing the petition, out of pure solidarity with my fellow compatriots back home, I have learnt that actually there were no restrictions on humanitarian aid from US to Iran to start with. 

Obviously, this dubious cultish group of dealer wheelers, falsely claiming to represent "Iranian americans", have once more been trying to gain political capital out of muddy waters, this time so shamelessly, out of death and misery of iranian people. 

"Personal business must yield to collective interest."

"Signed" society!

The whole point of being charitable is doing it anonymously. Obviously membership of the "signed society" has hidden priviledges!!

Joint letter of 11 Iranian-American organizations to US Treasury

Yesterday, 11 Iranian-American organizations submitted a letter to Adam Szubin, Director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) at the U.S. Department of Treasury. In the letter, the coalition of organizations urged OFAC to take immediate action to enable humanitarian assistance for the victims of the recent earthquakes in Northwestern Iran and specifically noted that the current sanctions against Iran limit individual and organizational ability to provide medicine, food, supplies, and monetary assistance to these victims as they begin to rebuild their lives. Click here (//www.niacouncil.org/site/R?i=kZMmW9bYjsf10gd...) to read the letter and view the list of coalition members.

Signed:
Iranian American Bar Association
Child Foundation
Children of Persia
Havaar-Iranian Initiative Against War, Sanctions, and State Repression
Iranian Alliances Across Borders (IAAB)
Moms Against Poverty
National Iranian American Council (NIAC)
Pars Equality Center
Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA)
United For Iran

Sanctions and Sending Money for Victims

Family Remittances: 

"It is legal to send noncommercial family remittances to Iran or to send donations of food and medicine to Iran.  However, sanctions on Iranian banks have now made it virtually impossible to send money to Iran.  In addition, transfers through havaleh are prohibited.  NIAC has formally requested the U.S. Treasury Department issue interpretive guidance to help Iranian Americans understand how they can send family remittances, and to help prevent banks from refusing to transact legal family remittances. The Treasury Department has not yet issued this interpretive guidance. If you would like to send a family remittance to Iran, we encourage you to consult with a lawyer first or contact the Treasury’s hotline for guidance" Trita Parsi

Signed for my people

.

Dear Mr. Kooshan, the word is clueless not merciless

Political agenda is all they have so if they put that aside, they have no raison d'être.

And if you were not blinded by your foaming hatred...

And if you were not blinded by your foaming hatred you would not have missed the following passage in the plea but then most Iranians only like hearing themselves talk.

Under current U.S. sanctions it is legal to donate food and medicine directly to Iran under an existing humanitarian exemption. Efforts to send these goods have been obstructed due to confusion about the law and over enforcement of the sanctions. Banks, drug companies, and reportedly even the U.S. Postal Service have been unwilling to facilitate and send such items. However, in our discussions with Treasury it has been made explicit that such transactions are indeed legal and we are urging Treasury to take additional steps necessary to ensure private and public entities are not blocking legal transactions.

تریتا موج سوار

 اگر دوتا کلاس حقوق میرفت یا اقلا از یک حوقوقدان سوال میکرد قبل از دهان باز کردن کمتر خیت میشد تحریم اختصادی ربطی به کمک انساندوستانه نداره

People who signed it, you have a lack of common sense

or as we say: naneh man gharibam bazi NIAC

 //www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/Programs/Documents/tsra_non_spec_06172011.pdf

OFAC Guidance on the Donations of Food and Medicine to Iran and the Non-Specified Areas of Sudan

Donations of food and medicine to Iran and the non-Specified Areas of Sudan, when intended to be used to relieve human suffering, are exempt from the prohibitions of the Iranian Transaction Regulations (“ITR”) and the Sudanese Sanctions Regulations (“SSR”); thus, such donations by U.S. persons do not require an ITR or SSR license issued pursuant to the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000 (“TSRA”). However, the commercial exportation or reexportation of food and medicine to Iran and the non-Specified Areas of Sudan is subject to the licensing requirements of TSRA. OFAC generally regards the exportation or reexportation of medical devices, donated or commercial, to be subject to the TSRA and therefore to require a TSRA license. In addition, the donation of funds to a non-US person for the purchase of food, medicine, or medical devices to be exported to Iran or the non-Specified Areas of Sudan would require a license. 

Signed

I'm so baffled how mercyless some of us are by putting our political agenda above humanity!

try to remove my comment again! 

I signed it twice

Actually I signed it two days ago and just to be sure signed it again

  US says no sanctions

 WASHINGTON: The United States said Monday that its citizens can donate food and medicine to Iran without fear of prosecution after the heavily sanctioned nation was hit by twin earthquakes.

President Barack Obama's administration has offered US assistance to Iranian victims of Saturday's disaster, despite its campaign of economic sanctions against the clerical regime over its contested nuclear program.

//www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/1219996/1/.html

All Oppression Creates a State of War--Simone De Beauvoir

No Sanctions on Humanitarian Aid for Iran!

There is no sanctions on humanitarian aid for Iran.  Obama, according to this story, has offered disaster relief help to the Iranian government. IRI, so far, through diplomatic channels has stated that there was no need for foreign help.

//www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM...

Signed but---

I read just now that Washington has declared that 'people can send food and medicine' without worry for sanctions. How are we supposed to do this? even post office won't take packages with no 'haft khane rostam' and it is not practical anyway. We should be allowed to send money. So this 'permission'  is not just not enough, it is NOTHING.

NIAC, please keep working and thank you.

Fred, az abe gel aloud mahi nagir bacheh. That attitude says a lot about you (and co) It is a shame. Do you know what 'shame' is Fred??

Signed

'Hambastegi' is the main key to victory 

Mehrdad

Putting things in perspective

Loss of even 1 life is extremely painful for those left behind.  If the lost one is a child, that pain is many times greater.  My heart goes to those who have lost loved ones and specially to mother who have lost young children.

Having said that, the loss of life is somewhere in 90-200 range.  This natural disaster pales in comparison to Tsunamis and floods of the past decade where tens and hundreds of thousands of people lost their life.

I believe us Iranians who live outside of Iran can send $ directly to relatives in Iran and they can in trun give that $ to the releif organizations in Iran.

There is really not a need to sign petitions or making this into a political matter. You can help as much as you like/can, directly. TODAY.

As for a comment by a poster named "Abarmard", I have seen pictures and videos of BAM from March 2012.  I am not certain what is your definition of rebuilding.  But what I saw is a far cry from anything one can call a "rebuilt" city. 

SIGNED. Thank you.

SIGNED. Thank you.

Signed

Quick responce to mahmoudghaffari:

I have visited Bam and it has been developed pretty fast. Nothing is perfectly done in Iran and some are related to social culture but Bam and money for that place has been used properly.

Some years ago there was an article about how fast Bam was being rebuild comparing the New Orleans, therefore credit goes where credit is due.

Absolutely not

First because NIAC, a lobby of the regime, sponsors it. Second because any relief effort would go into the pockets of the regime leaders.  Not a dime of this will ever reach the victims.  We saw that in Bam, have seen it with Kakrizak foundation, and all other's who claim to support relief efforts in Iran, since the inception of this regime.  This is your money going towards supporting terrorism.  Your choice.

Signed

Signed