Iran’s celebrities launch petition condemning US sanctions

Iranian celebrities including Oscar-winning film director Asghar Farhadi and Grammy winner Kayhan Kalhor have launched a petition condemning US sanctions on Tehran, AFP said. “Once again, the US has imposed sanctions against Iran… Every Iranian will personally pay the price,” reads the petition, named “Voices Against Sanctions” and posted on change.org. “Politicians will come and go, but the fallout from their disastrous decisions will be a nightmare for generations to come,” said the petition, which had picked up nearly 5,000 signatures by Friday. It was signed by Iranian filmmakers, musicians, activists and lawyers. Farhadi has received two Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film. Musician Kalhor, a virtuoso on the kamancheh or spiked fiddle, won a Grammy in 2017. US sanctions were re-imposed on Monday following the decision by President Donald Trump to pull out of the 2015 nuclear deal earlier this year.