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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?
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.
Thanks for standing with us.
Robert Cruickshank,
Demand Progress
Sources:
1. BBC News, "US embassy attack: Trump threatens Iran over violent protest in Iraq," January 1, 2020
2. The New York Times, "U.S. Strike in Iraq Kills Qassim Suleimani, Commander of Iranian Forces," January 3, 2020
3. CNN, "Iraqi security forces regain control of area around US Embassy after second day of protests," January 1, 2020
4. Ibid.
5. The Washington Post, "Esper says Iran may be planning more attacks on US interests," January 2, 2020
6. The New York Times, "U.S. Strike in Iraq Kills Qassim Suleimani, Commander of Iranian Forces," January 3, 2020
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