Mediation Instead of the Trigger: In Search of a Path to Dialogue and Peace
Do Not Sacrifice the People
On the Activation of the Snapback Mechanism
Musa Akrami
The world is moving toward a turbulent future: arson, polarization, and mistrust have displaced dialogue and coexistence. Against this backdrop, the news of the activation of the snapback mechanism by three European countries against Iran is a warning bell – not only for the future of diplomacy, but for the lives of millions of Iranians who, for decades, have been forgotten amid the struggles of domestic and foreign powers.
As a university professor, committed to human dignity, freedom, justice, and peace for all, and deeply attached to the fate of my nation, I am profoundly alarmed by this course of action.
Sanctions – whatever name they carry – are in practice an instrument of punishment inflicted upon people who have had the least role in determining the political and economic conditions of their lives. One cannot, in the name of international security, deprive an entire nation of the right to live with dignity. Sanctions, more than they alter structures, hollow out life itself: medicine becomes scarce, hope grows frail, and social trust is rendered fragile.
Undoubtedly, the path of dialogue and cooperation is not one-sided. Global trust depends upon sustainable and transparent commitments, and the responsibility for maintaining that trust rests on all parties to an agreement. Transparency, prudence, and dialogue must replace obstinacy. But the return to international sanctions is neither a path to rebuilding trust nor to strengthening peace. It only deepens divisions and fosters the growth of radical tendencies.
If European countries are genuinely concerned with peace, regional stability, and human rights, they must seek fairer ways of engaging with Iran – ways that do not impose crushing punishment on ordinary people.
I speak not as a political analyst, but as a conscience awakened from within the people of Iran: continuing along this path will lead Iran into deeper isolation, its people into exhaustion, and the region into greater instability.
Sanctions, contrary to what is claimed in official political discourse, are not deterrent tools; they are blunt instruments that weaken civil institutions and narrow the space for indigenous dialogue and gradual reform. The experience of the past two decades has shown that external pressure, though it may force temporary reactions, ultimately leads to greater social closure and the strengthening of mechanisms of control from within. Under such conditions, neither freedom can flourish, nor justice be established, nor peace take root.
A Call to Global Responsibility
The world today cannot move forward solely on the logic of power. If anything is to be learned from the experience of wars, refugee crises, and the decline of democracies in various regions, it is that security, justice, and peace can only be realized together. One cannot expose a society to crushing pressures in the name of deterrence while simultaneously speaking of human rights, development, and stability. If Europe and other global actors truly desire a peaceful future, they must have the courage to move beyond the cycle of punishment and threats, and orient themselves toward engagement and reform.
Certainly, international agreements cannot be implemented without oversight and guarantees. Yet such oversight must be founded upon dialogue, constructive solutions, and intelligent mechanisms – not upon collective punishment that weakens civic institutions, spreads despair, and erodes social trust.
Where Do Intellectuals Stand?
At this critical juncture, the voice of independent intellectuals bears a dual responsibility: on the one hand, to warn against politicized and unethical trends in international affairs; and on the other, to emphasize internal responsibilities for fostering dialogue, building trust, and reforming the mechanisms that render a nation vulnerable.
The task of intellectuals is not to defend power but to serve as the awakened conscience of peoples who are victims of politics, not its agents. Defending the dignity of people admits of no compromise with political or geopolitical boundaries.
Mediation, Not the Trigger
Today more than ever, we need the voice of mediation – a voice that seeks neither to whitewash nor to destroy, but to help build bridges that bring human beings closer, rather than push policies into confrontation.
Instead of activating the snapback mechanism, the world must activate human mechanisms: listening to the voices of peoples, strengthening diplomacy, supporting civil society, and opening paths that make both freedom and peace possible.
If the international community remains silent in the face of unilateral pressures and blind punishments, the day will come when other peoples will also face the same fate – and by then, there may be no voices left to protest.
Listen to the voices of human beings, not merely to the voices of states.
Musa Akrami
Professor of Philosophy
Academic Secretary, Ninth Conference of the Iranian Peace Studies Association
On the Philosophical Foundations of the Iranian School of Peace
Friday, 7th of Shahrivar, 1404 (August 29, 2025)
هنوز نظری ثبت نشده است. شما اولین نظر را بنویسید.