Dear John,
Today in Kerman, Iran, two explosions took the lives of scores of innocent Iranians and injured many others. Our thoughts are with everyone inside and outside Iran who has been impacted by this tragedy. We are tracking developments closely and urged U.S. officials to condemn this attack and express solidarity with the people of Iran - the U.S. State Department spokesperson just publicly expressed sympathies to those impacted and declared the U.S. was not involved. But we are also reiterating that the Biden administration must do far more to halt the region's slide into all out war.
We do not yet know who was behind this attack. But we do know that the region is on the brink following Hamas' October 7 attack on Israelis and Israel's siege that is killing Palestinians at unprecedented levels. Today's attack only contributes to fears of a full blown regional war.
The chain of events is gravely concerning: last week, Israel assassinated a prominent Iranian general in Syria – contributing to concerns that some in Netanyahu's government may desire to goad Iran into directly entering the conflict and drawing the U.S. into a larger war. Militias backed by Iran then targeted U.S. forces, injuring three U.S. soldiers and triggering retaliatory strikes. Meanwhile, the U.S. engaged this weekend in direct fire with Houthi rebels, who have repeatedly targeted vessels transiting the Red Sea in recent weeks, sinking three of their ships. Yesterday, Israel carried out an assassination of a Hamas leader in Beirut.
We urge that all parties seek deescalation and an end to this cycle of violence that only hurts ordinary people.
After October 7, we knew that the U.S. was going to have to move with urgency for a ceasefire before the regional crisis spiraled out of control. Regrettably, the Biden Administration has instead largely acted to enable the war even as the civilian death toll and regional risks mount. Today, we reiterate our urgent call for the U.S. to de-escalate, demand a ceasefire, and support broader regional diplomacy towards a sustainable peace before the crisis spirals fully out of control.
We will update you as soon as we learn more.
Sincerely,
Jamal Abdi
President, NIAC
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