Chicago-Area Activists Engage In Citizen Diplomacy With Iran

Javad Zarif Iran Foreign Minister
Javad Zarif, Iran's foreign minister, is shown here in 2014. Peace activists Sean Reynolds and Sarah Ball met with Zarif on their tour of Iran. Bundesministerium für Europa, Integration und Äusseres / Wikimedia Commons
Javad Zarif Iran Foreign Minister
Javad Zarif, Iran's foreign minister, is shown here in 2014. Peace activists Sean Reynolds and Sarah Ball met with Zarif on their tour of Iran. Bundesministerium für Europa, Integration und Äusseres / Wikimedia Commons

Chicago-Area Activists Engage In Citizen Diplomacy With Iran

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The relationship between the United States and Iran has been largely hostile since Iran’s Islamic Revolution deposed the U.S.-backed Shah and Iranian college students took 52 American diplomats and citizens hostage at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979. But not everyone wants it to stay that way. Today’s guests, Sean Reynolds and Sarah Ball, spent six days in Iran as part of a 28-member delegation of Americans organized by peace and human rights activist group CODEPINK that visited the country as part of a larger effort to avert military conflict and achieve harmonious relations between the two nations. They spent several hours with Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, talked with Iranian legislators, students and citizens, and toured Tehran and Isfahan. Tune in to hear about about their experiences, what they learned about Iranians’ feelings about Americans and the United States and what they think the U.S. needs to do to improve its relations with the Islamic Republic.