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For Immediate Release
June, 20 2019, 12:00am EDT
Contact:
Gabe Murphy, Peace Action, 510-501-3345 cell, gmurphy@peaceaction.org
Jon Rainwater, Peace Action, 510-469-3700 cell, jrainwater@peaceaction.org
Peace Action: Striking Iran Now Could Spark a Major War
WASHINGTON
In response to reports that the Trump administration is considering strikes on Iran in response to the downing of a U.S. surveillance drone, Jon Rainwater, Executive Director of Peace Action, released the following statement:
"The United States has stumbled into a perilous situation. If, for example, the U.S. retaliated by striking Iranian sites related to the downing of the drone how would Iran respond? Congress needs to grill the administration about how retaliatory strikes could spiral into lethal war. As importantly, Congress needs to bar the door to war and make clear that there is no authorization for any military strikes against Iran.
"Congress needs to use every power they have--constitutional war powers, cutting off funding, and fostering public outcry. Donald Trump and John Bolton can't be trusted in such a dangerous situation and they may need to be pushed kicking and screaming towards de-escalation. We need to return to diplomacy to de-escalate the situation and address the substantive issues behind this conflict. Many of us predicted that walking away from the Iran deal would lead us to the brink of war. The window for averting war is closing but it's not too late to step back and pursue a more sober path.
"The sky-high tensions between Iran and the U.S. is the type of situation that the United Nations was created for. It may be unfashionable in this era of go-it-alone unilateralism to suggest convening the UN Security Council to pump the breaks on this crisis, but that's exactly what we need right now."
Peace Action is the United States' largest peace and disarmament organization with over 100,000 members and nearly 100 chapters in 34 states, works to achieve the abolition of nuclear weapons, promote government spending priorities that support human needs and encourage real security through international cooperation and human rights.
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This is a developing story... Please check back for possible updates...
Republican Utah Gov. Spencer Cox announced on Friday that 22-year-old Utah resident Tyler Robinson had been arrested as the suspect in the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.
Cox said that Robinson was apprehended after being turned in by his family after he allegedly confessed to murdering Kirk on Wednesday.
The Utah governor also elaborated on some of the engravings that were found on bullet casings that were found on the scene. One of the messages, claimed Cox, said, "Hey fascist! Catch!" while another had the words: "If you read this you are gay lmao."
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Trump: "I just heard about it five minutes before I walked in ... they have the person that they wanted. So you have breaking news, don't you eh? You always have breaking news, Ainsley. Sean's gonna be very disappointed that we're not doing it on his show." pic.twitter.com/0mBjZk0sNR
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 12, 2025
Trump also said that a person who knew the suspect provided information on him to law enforcement officials that led to his arrest, although he offered no details. He said that the FBI would likely make an announcement on the suspect later on Friday.
Shortly after Trump made this announcement, law enforcement sources gave CNN some additional details that seemingly corroborated Trump's claims about having a suspect in custody.
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While much remains unclear, several outlets—including NBC News, The Daily Beast, New York Post, and others—identified the individual in custody as a 22-year-old with the name Tyler Robinson. Many of the other details surrounding the individual's arrest could not be independently verified by Common Dreams.
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The murder of Charlie Kirk is part of a disturbing rise in political violence that threatens to hollow out our public life.
A free society relies on the premise that people can speak out without fear or humiliation.
No more political violence. pic.twitter.com/SR71FJkiDz
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