Americans do not want war with Iran

A letter from the people of the United States to the people of Iran:

We watch, from different sides of the globe, as our countries inch closer and closer to violent conflict. We, the citizens of the United States of America, are confident that the citizens of Iran object to this grandiose display of power as much as we do ourselves. You have seen too many lives lost in your previous wars with your neighbors; we have seen too many lives lost in our wars with your neighboring countries as well. Surely there must be something that we can do, as citizens of these two great nations, to stop the violent path of our leaders and set the region on the road to peace and democracy.

We Americans feel more and more distrust for our own government, as we learn of the faulty intelligence that led us into war in Iraq and of more recent reports that may be intended to justify war with Iran. There is also every reason for you, the people of Iran, to distrust the American government. Our government helped to overthrow Dr.Mohammed Mossadegh’s government and return the Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, to power in 1953. Our government did also support Saddam Hussein’s Iraq in his brutal eight-year war with Iran.

We Americans also have reason to distrust the government of Iran. Its support of the terrorist group Hezbollah, which destabilizes the region and use violence to create fear, as well as its nuclear program and President Ahminedjad's aggressive rhetoric against our country and Israel, give us cause for concern.

Yet, we recognize your right, under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, to enrich uranium in the pursuit of peaceful nuclear energy. And we also understand that the presence of American troops in two of your neighboring countries and American warships in nearby waters may provide unintended motivation for your government to seek to develop nuclear weapons. We realize, as well, that the United States has been more accepting of other nuclear programs, including those of India, Pakistan, Israel, and even North Korea. However, the threatening message of your government gives us cause to believe that those weapons might be used against us, or against our allies. 

Americans and Iranians currently share similar experiences, with the rule of presidents driven by personal ideals that do not represent the peaceful ambitions of their respective nations. It is up to us, as the citizens of these great nations, to make our voices heard. We do not wish a war with Iran, and we hope that the people of Iran share our desire for peace. We, the undersigned citizens of the United States of America, desire to seek and find a diplomatic solution to our disagreements with your government. And we ask, through this letter, that our two governments answer to our calls for peace.