Washington, DC – The National Iranian American Council (NIAC) is available for immediate comment following President Trump’s renewed military strikes on Iran, Iran’s retaliation against U.S. positions, the administration’s revocation of a key sanctions waiver under the U.S.-Iran Memorandum of Understanding, and President Trump’s declaration that the agreement is effectively “over.”
The Trump administration is steering the United States back toward an illegal and disastrous war with Iran. Rather than implementing the agreement it negotiated, it has chosen escalation over diplomacy.
A return to war is illegal. Congress passed a War Powers Resolution directing the President to terminate hostilities, and a majority of Americans oppose another war with Iran. If President Trump wants to return to war, he must seek congressional authorization. If he refuses, Congress must enforce the law.
This escalation is also the predictable consequence of the administration’s own actions. Rather than implementing the Memorandum of Understanding it negotiated, President Trump repeatedly tested its limits, attempting to rewrite its terms through military pressure and confrontation in the Strait of Hormuz. If the administration found the agreement unacceptable, it should never have entered into it. It cannot expect Iran to accept unilateral revisions enforced through force.
Nor is there a military solution. Unless the President intends to seek authorization for a full-scale invasion and occupation of Iran, and persuade the American people that such a war is necessary, continued escalation offers no credible path to ending this conflict. Attempting to combine military coercion with intermittent diplomacy will only ensure that the war continues indefinitely.
Another war will cost Americans through higher energy prices, greater military spending, and more U.S. service members put in harm’s way, while Iranians will continue to bear the overwhelming human cost.
NIAC continues to monitor this rapidly evolving situation and is available for interviews, analysis, and comment throughout the day.
###