December, 16 2019, 11:00pm EDT
NIAC Commends Reps. Grijalva, Omar and Lee for Calling on Trump Administration to Protect Humanitarian Trade with Iran
WASHINGTON
Jamal Abdi, President of the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), released the following statement regarding the letter from Reps. Raul Grijalva, Ilhan Omar and Barbara Lee calling for the Trump administration to protect humanitarian trade with Iran:
"After the Trump administration took two key steps in recent months to restrict humanitarian trade with Iran, this letter comes at a critical time. Even as the Iranian people contend with brutal repression from their own government, they are being simultaneously squeezed by crushing U.S. sanctions that have led to shortages of life-saving medicine. Reps. Grijalva, Omar and Lee and all the signers of the letter deserve tremendous credit for highlighting the devastating consequences of Trump's maximum pressure campaign and urging steps to ensure that food and life-saving medicine are not blocked by U.S. sanctions.
"You can't support the Iranian people by banning them, and you can't support them by depriving them of food and medicine. The Trump administration needs to halt its deflection on the humanitarian impact of its sanctions, which is well-documented, and work on a real solution. We urge the administration to halt its targeting of humanitarian trade and respond in good faith to the legislators' inquiry."
The National Iranian American Council (NIAC) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization founded in 2002 to give voice to the Iranian-American community. From being the trusted voice on U.S.- Iran relations, to pushing forth legislation that protects individuals of Iranian heritage from systematic discrimination, to celebrating our cultural heritage, NIAC creates a lasting impact in the lives of the members of our community.
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