Iranian filmmakers launch campaign urging nuclear deal

The directors’ campaign is believed to be backed by Iran’s foreign ministry
Six prominent Iranian filmmakers have launched a campaign urging world powers to agree a permanent solution to the dispute over Iran’s nuclear programme.
The directors – including Abbas Kiarostami and Asghar Farhadi, who won Iran’s first Oscar in 2012 – say “there is no deal that is worse than no deal”.

International sanctions have hurt the Iranian people without harming their country’s nuclear programme, they add.

The initiative comes as a 24 November deadline for negotiations approaches.

Last week, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said there had been “steps forward” at the talks with the P5+1 – the US, UK, China, France, Russia and Germany – but that they had not been “significant”.

Negotiators are seeking to build on last year’s interim agreement that saw Iran curb uranium enrichment in return for partial sanctions relief.

‘Improved offer’

BBC Persian’s Kasra Naji says the six directors behind the new social media campaign usually make films that are banned from being shown in Iran but win prestigious prizes abroad.

Now, in spite of their unhappy relations with the government, they have launched a campaign to get world powers to agree to what appears to be an improved version of an offer that Iranian nuclear negotiators made in July, our correspondent adds.

Hassan Rouhani: “Under no conditions can sanctions be thought of as the right path”

The offer called on P5+1 to accept a nuclear programme frozen at current size and scope.

The filmmakers say that, combined with daily inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), would remove the possibility of Iran racing ahead to make a nuclear weapon.

The P5+1 wants Iran to scale back its sensitive nuclear activities permanently.

Our correspondent says the campaign – believed to be backed by Iran’s foreign ministry – reflects the growing anxiety among many Iranians, who fear the biting international sanctions may continue and even get worse if there is no an agreement by 24 November.

The size of future enrichment capacity in Iran and the timetable over which sanctions would be lifted in the event of an agreement are reported to be the main obstacles to a deal.

The world powers have long suspected Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons. But Iran says its nuclear work is solely for peaceful purposes.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29449703