Senator Sanders Introduces Law to Prevent Trump from Waging war on Iran
Alwaght- Two American congressmen have introduced a law to block funding for “military force in or against Iran” without congressional approval, as tensions have dangerously escalated berween Tehran and Washington after the later assassinated Iran's general Soleimani in Iraq.
Bernie Sanders and fellow progressive Ro Khanna introduced the legislation just a day after Donald Trump approved a targeted airstrike against commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard’s elite Quds Force and deputy head of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. Eight others, four Iraqi and Four Iranian, were also killed in the US strike on their motorcade just outside Baghdad airport as Gen. Soleimani’s flight arrived from Syria.
Both Soleimani and Muhandis were popular figureheads in helping squelch an ominous rise of ISIS which once came as close as 30 km to Baghdad, while the US withdrew troops from Iraq and looked on.
"Today, we are seeing a dangerous escalation that brings us closer to another disastrous war in the Middle East,” Sanders, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, and Mr Khanna, a member of the House, said in a joint statement.
The statement continued: “A war with Iran could cost countless lives and trillions more dollars and lead to even more deaths, more conflict, more displacement in that already highly volatile region of the world.“
The pair have previously criticized their fellow members of Congress for approving a $738 billion military budget that did not include safeguards to limit Donald Trump’s ability to wage a war against Iran. When that legislation was passed last month, Sanders and Khanna called it a “bill of astonishing moral cowardice."
In their Friday statement, they said their legislation provides an opportunity to reconsider the matter: “Congress now has an opportunity to change course. Our legislation blocks Pentagon funding for any unilateral actions this president takes to wage war against Iran without congressional authorization."
Elsewhere, starting an Iowa campaign event, Sanders said “I know that it is rarely the children of the billionaire class who face the agony of reckless foreign policy. It is the children of working families.”
The senator described Trump as an impulsive decision-maker who erred in pulling out of the multilateral Iran nuclear deal. He contended the decision to assassinate general Soleimani ran afoul of the president’s pledge to stop sustained U.S. involvement in foreign wars.
“As we all remember, Trump promised to end endless wars. Tragically, his actions now put us on the path to another war, potentially one that could be even worse than before,” Sanders said.
Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer, also, slammed the president’s decision to go ahead with the operation against general Soleimani without congressional approval.
“The need for advance consultation and transparency with Congress was put in the Constitution for a reason – because the lack of advanced consultation and transparency with congress can lead to hasty and ill-considered decisions,” he said.
The assassination has triggered a wave of outrage among Iranians and Iraqis, and further aligned the two neighbors with vociferous calls for revenge for what they view as "state terrorism."
Hundreds of thousands of people, chanting "Death to America and "Death to Israel," held funeral processions for the two commanders and their companions in Baghdad and the holy cities of Karbala and Najaf on Saturday.
On Sunday the bodies of them arrived in Iran's southern city of Ahvaz with huge crowd of People joining their funeral procession.
AhwazFrom Ahvaz, the cortege headed to the holy city of Mashhad in Iran’s northeast where hundreds of thousands of mourners were waiting for several hours.
The capital city of Tehran will be next destination and finally the legend commander will arrive to his hometown Kerman in the southeast for burial on Tuesday.
