Dear Friend,
Last night, on the orders of Donald Trump, the U.S. military assassinated
Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, the second most powerful person in Iran.^1
It's a massive escalation of conflict with Iran and puts us dangerously
close to war.
Troops are already deploying to the Middle East, and we're joining an
emergency coalition to stop the rush to war with Iran. Will you chip in?
[ [link removed] ]Yes, I'll donate to help stop Trump's disastrous rush to war with Iran.
The U.S. military carried out a drone strike at Baghdad International
Airport that killed Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, Iran’s top military
leader, as well as several Iraqi militia officials—and the strike was
ordered by Trump with no authorization from Congress.^2
But in fact, the escalation of the conflict with Iran had been building
for weeks.
While many of us were celebrating the holidays, U.S. military forces
bombed five facilities in Syria and Iraq that the Pentagon says are linked
to an Iranian-backed militia group. The airstrikes killed dozens of people
and were done against the will of the Iraqi government.^3
Then hundreds of protestors in Iraq surrounded the U.S. embassy.^4 Without
providing any proof, Trump's defense secretary accused Iran of planning
new attacks on U.S interests in the Middle East. The Pentagon has deployed
more troops to the area, causing Iran to ramp up its own warmongering
rhetoric.^5
But the assassination of the #2 ranking member of Iran's government is a
massive escalation that could cause the conflict to spin out of control.
Trump inherited the best chance for peace with Iran in decades with the
Iran nuclear deal negotiated by President Obama, and he has been trying to
provoke Iran since Day 1 of his administration. Now, in response to
yesterday’s assassination of Maj. Gen. Suleimani, Iran Supreme Leader
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei announced that "a forceful revenge awaits the
criminals who have his blood and the blood of the other martyrs last night
on their hands."^6
Iran is a Middle East powerhouse with a strong government and massive
population. As disastrous as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have been,
war with Iran would be far, far worse.
The Democrats in Congress have the power to stop Trump's ability to wage
war with Iran. Demand Progress has been working for months to make them
use that power. We need to rally right now to convince the Democrats in
Congress to pass a resolution blocking Trump's warmongering with Iran.
[ [link removed] ]Will you donate to help mobilize grassroots pressure on Democrats to
stop Trump's disastrous war with Iran?
Thanks for standing with us.
Robert Cruickshank,
Demand Progress
[ [link removed] ]DONATE
Sources:
1. BBC News, "US embassy attack: Trump threatens Iran over violent protest
in Iraq," [ [link removed] ]January 1, 2020
2. The New York Times, "U.S. Strike in Iraq Kills Qassim Suleimani,
Commander of Iranian Forces," [ [link removed] ]January 3, 2020
3. CNN, "Iraqi security forces regain control of area around US Embassy
after second day of protests," [ [link removed] ]January 1, 2020
4. Ibid.
5. The Washington Post, "Esper says Iran may be planning more attacks on
US interests," [ [link removed] ]January 2, 2020
6. The New York Times, "U.S. Strike in Iraq Kills Qassim Suleimani,
Commander of Iranian Forces," [ [link removed] ]January 3, 2020
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