Veterans For Peace condemns actions by the Trump Administration that violate the War Powers Resolutions passed by the U.S. Congress and the Memorandum of Understanding with Iran to end the fighting and begin serious negotiations for peace.

The U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate have both recently passed War Powers Resolutions calling on the president to halt military hostilities with Iran. These historic votes reflect the will of the majority of the U.S. people who oppose this illegal war and have been demanding Congressional action. The Senate vote occurred after the United States and Iran declared a 60-day ceasefire, during which serious efforts toward a negotiated peace were to be pursued. This was a hopeful moment.

And then President Trump ordered renewed U.S. bombing of Iran and once again threatened the total destruction of the Iranian nation. Trump also intimidated Republican Senators who had voted for the War Powers Resolution, forcing them to bring forth another War Powers Resolution and vote it down. Shame on Trump and shame on these cowardly Senators!

The hypocrisy of the U.S. waging war on Iran alongside Israel is monstrous. Trump has stated many times his main objective is to ensure Iran never develops a nuclear weapon. He makes this claim while the United States has an arsenal of over 5,000 warheads (enough to kill billions of people) and has attacked Iran alongside Israel, a nation widely known to possess a nuclear arsenal of at least 90 warheads and fissile material to produce more. Iran has signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT); Israel has not. Israel routinely ignores United Nations resolutions calling for it to sign the NPT and place its facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards.

The U.S. has committed illegal and immoral attacks that targeted civilian infrastructure and killed more than 3,000 Iranians. On the first day of the war, the U.S. bombed an elementary school, killing 125 schoolgirls and 50 teachers and staff.

As veterans who have witnessed U.S. wars based on lies, we will continue to resist the U.S./Israeli war on Iran and Lebanon and the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people. We call on our brothers and sisters, sons, daughters, and grandchildren to refuse unlawful orders to participate in illegal wars and crimes against humanity.

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