Washington, D.C. – Following President Trump’s unconstitutional strikes against Iran over the weekend and the announcement of a tentative ceasefire agreement between Israel and Iran, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley called for sustained de-escalation, a durable peace, and for the United States to use its leverage to lead a renewed commitment to diplomacy.
“The decision to strike Iran was wrong on all counts—it violated the Constitution, undermined diplomatic efforts that were already underway, and put innocent civilians in the crossfire,” said Merkley, a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “To prevent another Middle East conflict, Congress must exercise its constitutional power over matters of war and peace, including with Iran. We cannot leave this responsibility to the impulses of Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu.”
Merkley continued, “The President did the right thing by using his leverage with Israel to create a temporary ceasefire, but that isn’t the end of the story. In order to have a durable peace, we need to produce a diplomatic agreement that lays out the framework with extensive oversight that ensures Iran will not develop a nuclear weapon and ends its support for militias outside of Iran and enables Iran to rejoin the global economy.”
Merkley reiterated his support for Senator Tim Kaine’s (D-VA) resolution to force the Senate to debate and hold a vote regarding the use of any U.S. military force against Iran. The measure is expected to be brought up for a vote in the Senate as early as this week.
Following the U.S. strikes against Iran, Merkley spoke out against President Trump for bringing the U.S. to the brink of another war in the Middle East. Prior to the strikes, he joined Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) in introducing the No War Against Iran Act, legislation to prohibit the use of federal funds for any use of military force in or against Iran without specific Congressional authorization.
“This bill makes clear: the President cannot launch another war in the Middle East without Congressional authorization. It’s long past time for Congress to reassert its constitutional role and prevent another disastrous conflict,” said Merkley following the introduction of the No War Against Iran Act.
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