Rep. Ellison cites Mousavi's oppositon to sanctions

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) cited Iran opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi's stance against sanctions on the Tehran government.

Ellison, a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, tweeted from a Foreign Affairs Committee markup on proposed sanctions against Iran:

Foreign Affairs mark up on increasing sanctions on Iran. I oppose. Why do Shirin Ebadi, Mousavi & democracy advocates say bad idea?

Two weeks ago, Congress sent a bill to President Barack Obama that included measures barring companies that sell fuel to Iran from winning U.S. contracts. The Foreign Affairs panel is now working on a bill that targets firms that invest in Iran's domestic production of oil.

Obama and other world leaders at the G20 offered tough words for Iran after a secret, underground nuclear facility was revealed in the country. The world leaders expressed support for increased sanctions on Iran in response.

But Ellison is poised to buck the president, arguing that Iran's opposition leaders who deeply oppose President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's regime do not want sanctions because they believe they will harm the country's citizens economically. 

While Mousavi has opposed sanctions, human rights lawyers Shirin Ebadi did offer her support for some sanctions in response to election fraud on behalf of Ahmadinejad this summer. 

Critics question the sincerety of opposition leaders' stance on sanctions, saying that it is a move to appeal to the public.