The U.S. may be headed into a catastrophic war with Iran, broadcasting a plan to send as many as 120,000 troops to the Middle East--thanks to warmongering Trump officials led by John Bolton and the hawkish governments of Saudi Arabia and Israel.1
The Trump administration’s vague references to a threat from Iran are reminding a lot of us of the lies that led us into the Iraq war. But a war on Iran would be even more devastating. Iran is far bigger, far more populous, and more powerful than Iraq. 2
Congress has the authority to stop war, but they won’t take action without pressure from the grassroots--including Demand Progress members like you. It’s urgent that we pressure them to act before it’s too late and people start dying.
On Wednesday, to drum up the threat of war, the Trump administration Team Trump ordered all non-essential staff out of the U.S. embassy in Baghdad in neighboring Iraq.
European governments want to stay out of it--they believe that the U.S. is provoking Iran to war.3 But Saudi Arabia and Israel--two governments notorious for human rights abuses--are all in on a war with Iran.4
Diplomacy is our best bet to avoid all out war. And it was working--before Trump unilaterally withdrew from the Iranian nuclear deal last year.5
U.S. wars abroad and drone strikes have killed thousands and have done nothing to make us safer. In fact, they’ve done the opposite--the War on Terror has fueled anti-American extremism globally.6
The Iranian people have been slowly moving towards moderate politics over the last forty years. But if the U.S., Saudi Arabia, and Israel go to war with Iran, the Iranian hardliners would take advantage of that and use war to drum up popular support. We could set the clock back forty years in Iranian politics.
Iranians have resisted foreign occupation for centuries. Though the Iranian government is unpopular with a large portion of the population, most Iranians would be united in opposing an American occupation.
As Shirin Ebadi, the Nobel Peace Prize winner from Iran has repeatedly said, you can’t deliver democracy to people on the backs of bombs.7
Don’t let Trump launch a devastating, dangerous war.