SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) delivers remarks at a campaign function in the Marvin Center at George Washington University on June 12, 2019 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images)
Trump Must Not Be Allowed to Use Gulf of Oman Incidents as 'Pretext for Illegal War With Iran': Bernie Sanders
"The time is now for the United States to exert international leadership, and bring the countries in the region together to forge a diplomatic solution to the growing tensions."
Jun 14, 2019
Sen. Bernie Sanders responded on Friday to president Donald Trump's assertion that Iran was behind Thursday's suspected attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman with a call for restraint against pursing what he said would be a dangerous and "illegal" war against the country.
"Attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman are unacceptable and must be fully investigated," the Vermont Independent and 2020 president hopeful said in a statement. "But this incident must not be used as a pretext for a war with Iran, a war which would be an unmitigated disaster for the United States, Iran, the region, and the world."
"The time is now for the United States to exert international leadership," Sanders continued, "and bring the countries in the region together to forge a diplomatic solution to the growing tensions."
The Trump administration late Thursday released video footage that it claimed proved that Iran was behind the alleged attacks, though the Japanese owner of one of the tankers on Friday appeared to contradict the White House narrative.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday also claimed, without evidence, that Iran was behind not only Thursday's alleged oil tanker attacks but other "recent similar... attacks on shipping."
In his new statement, Sanders appeared to confront Pompeo's reported assertion in a closed door meeting with lawmakers that the 2001 AUMF provides legal grounding for a war with Iran.
"I would also remind President Trump that there is no congressional authorization for a war with Iran," said Sanders. "A unilateral U.S. attack on Iran would be illegal and unconstitutional."
\u201cThe Gulf of Oman incident must not be used as a pretext for war with Iran. War would be an unmitigated disaster for the United States, Iran, the region, and the world. A unilateral U.S. attack on Iran would be illegal and unconstitutional. https://t.co/D8QK7k50Ur\u201d— Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders) 1560540507
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), who cast the sole dissenting vote against the AUMF, made a similar point on Thursday.
"Let me be perfectly clear: the Administration does not have the authorization to go to war without Congressional approval," she tweeted. "Trump and Pompeo must come before Congress and make their case before any action is taken."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. 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. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Sen. Bernie Sanders responded on Friday to president Donald Trump's assertion that Iran was behind Thursday's suspected attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman with a call for restraint against pursing what he said would be a dangerous and "illegal" war against the country.
"Attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman are unacceptable and must be fully investigated," the Vermont Independent and 2020 president hopeful said in a statement. "But this incident must not be used as a pretext for a war with Iran, a war which would be an unmitigated disaster for the United States, Iran, the region, and the world."
"The time is now for the United States to exert international leadership," Sanders continued, "and bring the countries in the region together to forge a diplomatic solution to the growing tensions."
The Trump administration late Thursday released video footage that it claimed proved that Iran was behind the alleged attacks, though the Japanese owner of one of the tankers on Friday appeared to contradict the White House narrative.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday also claimed, without evidence, that Iran was behind not only Thursday's alleged oil tanker attacks but other "recent similar... attacks on shipping."
In his new statement, Sanders appeared to confront Pompeo's reported assertion in a closed door meeting with lawmakers that the 2001 AUMF provides legal grounding for a war with Iran.
"I would also remind President Trump that there is no congressional authorization for a war with Iran," said Sanders. "A unilateral U.S. attack on Iran would be illegal and unconstitutional."
\u201cThe Gulf of Oman incident must not be used as a pretext for war with Iran. War would be an unmitigated disaster for the United States, Iran, the region, and the world. A unilateral U.S. attack on Iran would be illegal and unconstitutional. https://t.co/D8QK7k50Ur\u201d— Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders) 1560540507
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), who cast the sole dissenting vote against the AUMF, made a similar point on Thursday.
"Let me be perfectly clear: the Administration does not have the authorization to go to war without Congressional approval," she tweeted. "Trump and Pompeo must come before Congress and make their case before any action is taken."
Sen. Bernie Sanders responded on Friday to president Donald Trump's assertion that Iran was behind Thursday's suspected attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman with a call for restraint against pursing what he said would be a dangerous and "illegal" war against the country.
"Attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman are unacceptable and must be fully investigated," the Vermont Independent and 2020 president hopeful said in a statement. "But this incident must not be used as a pretext for a war with Iran, a war which would be an unmitigated disaster for the United States, Iran, the region, and the world."
"The time is now for the United States to exert international leadership," Sanders continued, "and bring the countries in the region together to forge a diplomatic solution to the growing tensions."
The Trump administration late Thursday released video footage that it claimed proved that Iran was behind the alleged attacks, though the Japanese owner of one of the tankers on Friday appeared to contradict the White House narrative.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday also claimed, without evidence, that Iran was behind not only Thursday's alleged oil tanker attacks but other "recent similar... attacks on shipping."
In his new statement, Sanders appeared to confront Pompeo's reported assertion in a closed door meeting with lawmakers that the 2001 AUMF provides legal grounding for a war with Iran.
"I would also remind President Trump that there is no congressional authorization for a war with Iran," said Sanders. "A unilateral U.S. attack on Iran would be illegal and unconstitutional."
\u201cThe Gulf of Oman incident must not be used as a pretext for war with Iran. War would be an unmitigated disaster for the United States, Iran, the region, and the world. A unilateral U.S. attack on Iran would be illegal and unconstitutional. https://t.co/D8QK7k50Ur\u201d— Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders) 1560540507
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), who cast the sole dissenting vote against the AUMF, made a similar point on Thursday.
"Let me be perfectly clear: the Administration does not have the authorization to go to war without Congressional approval," she tweeted. "Trump and Pompeo must come before Congress and make their case before any action is taken."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.