This past summer Fatemeh Darabi spent six weeks in the MCC Washington Office. Fatemeh is from Iran and is a recent graduate of Eastern Mennonite University’s Center for Justice and Peacebuilding.

Clearly the U.S. relationship (or lack of one) with Iran has gotten more complicated in the wake of Iran’s presidential election. But diplomacy remains the route through which differences between our two governments will eventually need to be resolved.

Together we visited several congressional offices to talk about U.S.-Iran policy. Staffers were receptive and eager to hear her perspective. One staffer commented that he had been to many briefings on Iran but had never before spoken to an Iranian.

The U.S. finds itself at a difficult crossroads right now with Iran. Pressure is mounting for the Iranian government to accept an invitation to multilateral negotiations by mid-September. Later this month, President Ahmadinejad is scheduled to attend the UN General Assembly in New York. Ahmadinejad began his second term as president of Iran in August after an election marked by controversy in June.

Meanwhile, many in Congress speak of “supporting the Iranian people” but point to more sanctions as the best way to do so. The Congress looks poised to approve a gasoline embargo (H.R. 2194, S. 908) on Iran when it returns from recess.

While Iranians hold a wide array of views on their government’s policies, few are asking for the U.S. to impose sanctions. In fact, as Fatemeh pointed out to the congressional staffers, sanctions have primarily hurt the average citizen, not the Iranian government.

Clearly the U.S. relationship (or lack of one) with Iran has gotten more complicated in the wake of Iran’s presidential election. But diplomacy remains the route through which differences between our two governments will eventually need to be resolved.

Mennonite Central Committee’s work in Iran has been focused on building understanding at a people-to-people level. We have done this work out of our commitment to the biblical command to love our neighbor as ourselves (Lev. 19:18, Matt. 19:19), which we understand as neighbors near and far.

Building people-to-people relationships helps to break down stereotypes and plants seeds of understanding. Fatemeh originally came to the U.S. to study peacebuilding as part of these MCC efforts. Because of that connection, several congressional staff have now talked to an Iranian for the first time. I hope that conversation is just the first of many.