WASHINGTON - May 22 - Melissa Van, a 28 year old from Staten Island, New York who is Executive Director of Peace Action New York State (www.panys.org), returned today from a people to people peace delegation to Iran. The delegation of 22 Americans and one British citizen visited Teheran (the contemporary capital), Shiraz (jewel of classical Islamic culture as well as the seat of Iran’s ancient pre-Islamic civilization), Qom (world center of Shi’i theology), and Isfahan (legendary capital of medieval Persia). By visiting Iran and meeting ordinary Iranians, the delegation hopes to foster the kind of bonds between people that lead to better understanding, appreciation of cultures, and mutual respect.

“Most Iranians are concerned that people in the U.S. will think of them as terrorists, as ignorant, as people living in trees, and they want to really dispel that myth,” said Melissa Van in Isfahan, Iran.

On her fifth day in Iran, Melissa noted, “I researched this country quite a bit before coming and I'm having so many things blown out of the water. For example, the quiet submissive women covered in black - not true.” You can read more of Melissa Van’s blog entries at http://melissainiran.blogspot.com.

Available for Interview:

Melissa Van is available for phone interviews now and for in person interviews in Washington, DC on Sunday May 21st from 11:00 AM until 10:00 AM Tuesday, May 23rd and in New York City thereafter.

The Peace Action Education Fund is the sister organization of the nearly 50 year-old Peace Action, the United States' largest peace and disarmament organization with over 100,000 members and nearly 100 chapters in 30 states and works to achieve the abolition of nuclear weapons, promote government spending priorities that support human needs and encourage a foreign policy that embodies respect for human rights. http://www.peace-action.org

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