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
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meets with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on September 18, 2019. (Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images)
Condemning Pompeo Warmongering, Sanders Says 'Attack on Saudi Oil Is Not an Attack on America'
"We will not let you drag the American people into another catastrophe in the Middle East."
Sep 19, 2019
In response to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's declaration Wednesday that the bombardment of Saudi oil facilities this past weekend--which the Trump administration has blamed on Iran--constituted an "act of war," Sen. Bernie Sanders said "an attack on Saudi oil is not an attack on America" and vowed Congress will not allow the White House to launch another devastating military conflict in the Middle East.
"If you want a war, come to Congress to make your case," tweeted Sanders, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate. "We will not let you drag the American people into another catastrophe in the Middle East."
"Your job is to use diplomacy to resolve conflict--not incite more war," the Vermont senator added.
\u201c.@SecPompeo: An attack on Saudi oil is NOT an attack on America. If you want a war, come to Congress to make your case. We will not let you drag the American people into another catastrophe in the Middle East.\n\nYour job is to use diplomacy to resolve conflict\u2014not incite more war.\u201d— Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders) 1568831111
Pompeo's comments came during a visit Wednesday with Saudi leaders, who have claimed--on the basis of scarce evidence--that the aerial strikes which temporarily paralyzed the kingdom's oil production originated in Iran.
Iran has repeatedly denied any involvement in the attacks, for which Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed responsibility. In an interview with CNN on Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said he does not know who was responsible for the incident, which reportedly did not result in any casualties.
"I cannot have any confidence that they did it because we just heard their statement," said Zarif, referring to the Houthis. "I know that we didn't do it. I know that the Houthis made a statement that they did it."
Zarif went on to warn that, while Iran does not want a conflict, any U.S. or Saudi military strike on Iran would result in "all-out war."
"I make a very serious statement about defending our country. I am making a very serious statement that we don't want to engage in a military confrontation," said Zarif. "But we won't blink to defend our territory."
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.
In response to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's declaration Wednesday that the bombardment of Saudi oil facilities this past weekend--which the Trump administration has blamed on Iran--constituted an "act of war," Sen. Bernie Sanders said "an attack on Saudi oil is not an attack on America" and vowed Congress will not allow the White House to launch another devastating military conflict in the Middle East.
"If you want a war, come to Congress to make your case," tweeted Sanders, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate. "We will not let you drag the American people into another catastrophe in the Middle East."
"Your job is to use diplomacy to resolve conflict--not incite more war," the Vermont senator added.
\u201c.@SecPompeo: An attack on Saudi oil is NOT an attack on America. If you want a war, come to Congress to make your case. We will not let you drag the American people into another catastrophe in the Middle East.\n\nYour job is to use diplomacy to resolve conflict\u2014not incite more war.\u201d— Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders) 1568831111
Pompeo's comments came during a visit Wednesday with Saudi leaders, who have claimed--on the basis of scarce evidence--that the aerial strikes which temporarily paralyzed the kingdom's oil production originated in Iran.
Iran has repeatedly denied any involvement in the attacks, for which Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed responsibility. In an interview with CNN on Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said he does not know who was responsible for the incident, which reportedly did not result in any casualties.
"I cannot have any confidence that they did it because we just heard their statement," said Zarif, referring to the Houthis. "I know that we didn't do it. I know that the Houthis made a statement that they did it."
Zarif went on to warn that, while Iran does not want a conflict, any U.S. or Saudi military strike on Iran would result in "all-out war."
"I make a very serious statement about defending our country. I am making a very serious statement that we don't want to engage in a military confrontation," said Zarif. "But we won't blink to defend our territory."
In response to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's declaration Wednesday that the bombardment of Saudi oil facilities this past weekend--which the Trump administration has blamed on Iran--constituted an "act of war," Sen. Bernie Sanders said "an attack on Saudi oil is not an attack on America" and vowed Congress will not allow the White House to launch another devastating military conflict in the Middle East.
"If you want a war, come to Congress to make your case," tweeted Sanders, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate. "We will not let you drag the American people into another catastrophe in the Middle East."
"Your job is to use diplomacy to resolve conflict--not incite more war," the Vermont senator added.
\u201c.@SecPompeo: An attack on Saudi oil is NOT an attack on America. If you want a war, come to Congress to make your case. We will not let you drag the American people into another catastrophe in the Middle East.\n\nYour job is to use diplomacy to resolve conflict\u2014not incite more war.\u201d— Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders) 1568831111
Pompeo's comments came during a visit Wednesday with Saudi leaders, who have claimed--on the basis of scarce evidence--that the aerial strikes which temporarily paralyzed the kingdom's oil production originated in Iran.
Iran has repeatedly denied any involvement in the attacks, for which Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed responsibility. In an interview with CNN on Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said he does not know who was responsible for the incident, which reportedly did not result in any casualties.
"I cannot have any confidence that they did it because we just heard their statement," said Zarif, referring to the Houthis. "I know that we didn't do it. I know that the Houthis made a statement that they did it."
Zarif went on to warn that, while Iran does not want a conflict, any U.S. or Saudi military strike on Iran would result in "all-out war."
"I make a very serious statement about defending our country. I am making a very serious statement that we don't want to engage in a military confrontation," said Zarif. "But we won't blink to defend our territory."
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.