

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.


Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.

"Are we going to allow another administration to take us into another war in the Middle East? Have we learned nothing?" Benjamin wrote on Twitter following her protest. (Photo: CSPAN/Screengrab)
After senior State Department official and head of the Trump administration's so-called "Iran Action Group" Brian Hook delivered a hawkish speech on Wednesday trashing the Iran nuclear accord and praising the White House's deeply harmful sanctions, CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin interrupted the event and condemned Hook for "making the case for war with Iran."
"Are we going to allow another administration to take us into another war in the Middle East? Have we learned nothing?"
--Medea Benjamin, CodePink
"That is the most ridiculous thing I have seen. The world community wants to keep the Iran nuclear deal," Benjamin declared as she walked on stage at the small gathering, which was hosted by the right-wing Hudson Institute.
Responding to Hook's remark that Iran must begin acting like a "normal" country, Benjamin said: "Let's talk about 'normal countries.' Let's talk about Saudi Arabia. Is that who our allies are?"
"Do you think the sanctions are hurting the regime or are they hurting the Iranian people? They are hurting the Iranian people," Benjamin added. "You are making a case for war with Iran. How did the war with Iraq turn out? You're doing exactly the same thing we did in the case of Iraq. We don't want another war in the Middle East."
Watch:
While Benjamin's protest garnered zero attention from the corporate media, it was noticed by Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, who tweeted the video along with a short message: "Apparently, [the] U.S. only mocks calls for peace."
"Are we going to allow another administration to take us into another war in the Middle East? Have we learned nothing?" Benjamin wrote on Twitter following her protest. "We need to interrupt the warhawks like Trump's Brian Hook, head of Iran Action Group, who wants to take us to war with Iran."
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
After senior State Department official and head of the Trump administration's so-called "Iran Action Group" Brian Hook delivered a hawkish speech on Wednesday trashing the Iran nuclear accord and praising the White House's deeply harmful sanctions, CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin interrupted the event and condemned Hook for "making the case for war with Iran."
"Are we going to allow another administration to take us into another war in the Middle East? Have we learned nothing?"
--Medea Benjamin, CodePink
"That is the most ridiculous thing I have seen. The world community wants to keep the Iran nuclear deal," Benjamin declared as she walked on stage at the small gathering, which was hosted by the right-wing Hudson Institute.
Responding to Hook's remark that Iran must begin acting like a "normal" country, Benjamin said: "Let's talk about 'normal countries.' Let's talk about Saudi Arabia. Is that who our allies are?"
"Do you think the sanctions are hurting the regime or are they hurting the Iranian people? They are hurting the Iranian people," Benjamin added. "You are making a case for war with Iran. How did the war with Iraq turn out? You're doing exactly the same thing we did in the case of Iraq. We don't want another war in the Middle East."
Watch:
While Benjamin's protest garnered zero attention from the corporate media, it was noticed by Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, who tweeted the video along with a short message: "Apparently, [the] U.S. only mocks calls for peace."
"Are we going to allow another administration to take us into another war in the Middle East? Have we learned nothing?" Benjamin wrote on Twitter following her protest. "We need to interrupt the warhawks like Trump's Brian Hook, head of Iran Action Group, who wants to take us to war with Iran."
After senior State Department official and head of the Trump administration's so-called "Iran Action Group" Brian Hook delivered a hawkish speech on Wednesday trashing the Iran nuclear accord and praising the White House's deeply harmful sanctions, CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin interrupted the event and condemned Hook for "making the case for war with Iran."
"Are we going to allow another administration to take us into another war in the Middle East? Have we learned nothing?"
--Medea Benjamin, CodePink
"That is the most ridiculous thing I have seen. The world community wants to keep the Iran nuclear deal," Benjamin declared as she walked on stage at the small gathering, which was hosted by the right-wing Hudson Institute.
Responding to Hook's remark that Iran must begin acting like a "normal" country, Benjamin said: "Let's talk about 'normal countries.' Let's talk about Saudi Arabia. Is that who our allies are?"
"Do you think the sanctions are hurting the regime or are they hurting the Iranian people? They are hurting the Iranian people," Benjamin added. "You are making a case for war with Iran. How did the war with Iraq turn out? You're doing exactly the same thing we did in the case of Iraq. We don't want another war in the Middle East."
Watch:
While Benjamin's protest garnered zero attention from the corporate media, it was noticed by Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, who tweeted the video along with a short message: "Apparently, [the] U.S. only mocks calls for peace."
"Are we going to allow another administration to take us into another war in the Middle East? Have we learned nothing?" Benjamin wrote on Twitter following her protest. "We need to interrupt the warhawks like Trump's Brian Hook, head of Iran Action Group, who wants to take us to war with Iran."