Ireland should not back sanctions against Iran

THE ongoing sanctions in Iran are leading to nowhere.

They will cause severe hardship to the poor and the working poor in Iran and their many disadvantaged peoples.

In 1980 America and its many allies brought in sanctions against Iraq — a country that, at that time, had the best education and health system by far in the Middle East and surrounding areas.

The rest is history.

In Iran it is understood that its current president, Mr Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has dictatorial tendencies, to put it at its mildest, but the people of Iran elected him and it is their duty to eventually put him out of power, which some day they will do.

Britain, our closest neighbour, has nuclear weapons, as do France, Israel, Russia, India and Pakistan.

Yet, these countries are on friendly terms with the USA and there are no sanctions against any of these countries.

For many years Ireland was known as a country that had the courage to speak out and defend smaller nations by our steadfast neutral position. I do hope that we endeavour to hold this line and speak out and say no to sanctions in Iran.

Paul Doran

Monastery Walk

Clondalkin

Dublin 22