Iranian Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi has warned against imposing sanctions on her country, saying it would harm the population not the government. Speaking at the Asia Society in New York she said international sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme would backfire. <br/><br/>She said they oppose military attack on Iran or economic sanctions because that's to the detriment of the people. But she pleaded with western companies not to do business with Iran. The Nobel laureate said companies trading with Iran should be censured, not Iran's people.<br/>