Tehran Journal – July 25 – Laleh Azadi is the pseudonym for a journalist operating in Tehran who has been providing near daily updates of the situation following the election. Her analysis and observations have been indispensable throughout the last month.
Now she has a message for policymakers in the West:
Associating with anyone from the West is dangerous. In these times, those abroad play a delicate but vital role. Their assistance in disseminating information from Iran is crucial but any form of intervention, be it military (the bombing of nuclear facilities) or economic (increased sanctions), is only incredibly destructive. Each threat of military aggression or proposed negotiation deadline, makes “green” efforts more difficult. And increased economic sanction, deteriorates our lives and safety. Some think the two recent airplane crashes may have been affected by our country’s lack of access to parts and planes.
This is our movement. We appreciate and continue to ask for global solidarity but this struggle is for Iranians. I believe that Nobel Peace Price laureate Shireen Ebadi’s statements echo the wider sentiments of the Iranian people. While speaking in Germany, she stated, “I am against economic sanctions and military interventions… Diplomatic ties must not be severed, instead the embassies could be downgraded to consulates. This would not harm the Iranian people, but it would illustrate the government’s isolation.” Keeping the table open with no conditions and encouraging dialogue with all factions in Iran is vital. However, it must be done extremely carefully so as not to provide any means of leverage for Ahmadinejad.
niacINsight - The Blog of the National Iranian American Council (NIAC) 
Sanctions is the only way out of this. When people are having a hard time putting food on the table they will change the government
Does it really make a difference? When we give the regime an excuse, the regime uses it to silence the opposition. When we don’t give the regime an excuse, the regime fabricates an excuse and uses it to silence the opposition.
I agree with Al and Ben.
I have been listening to number of calls coming into CNN Iran Desk from student protesters who are asking for intervention by the west. Callers were specifically asking for 1) blockade of Iran import of refined gasoline through Strait of Hormuz, 2) EU and U.S. not recognizing current government in Iran. They claimed shutting down import of refined gasoline to Iran would bring the government down to its knees in less than two weeks.
Laleh Azadi’s reasoning would work if the world community was dealing with a rational government in Iran. Unfortunately, you cannot take rational and logical steps with a regime whose principle answer when cut in lie is brutally murdering its own people.
I honestly believe that it is much too late for these half-measures proposed by Iranian intellectuals who are well off financially. Ordinary people are fed-up. They cannot feed their family and their government is provoking world community by pushing its nuclear agenda. They want food, jobs, and freedom to live they lives as they see fit and their government tell them to chant death to Israel or death to America. They see being teased and insulated by promise of a fair and their government nullifies their votes and says the results was divine intervention and anyone who thinks otherwise is a foreign agent.
I believe the fraud election and the subsequent response by the government was the straw that broke camel’s back. We will see continuation of this movement and radicalization of more and more Iranians irrespective of what world community does or does not do.