Washington D.C. – Jamal Abdi, President of the National Iranian American Council, issued the following statement after a slim majority of the House of Representatives voted down the Massie-Khanna war powers resolution on Iran (H.Con.Res. 38) by a vote of 212 – 219.
“This outcome is a betrayal of the vast majority of American voters who do not want war and do not want the global economy wrecked to fulfill Benjamin Netanyahu’s vision of ruling over the rubble of the Middle East. This war isn’t enhancing American security, it is putting countless lives on the line without a basic plan for what comes next. It isn’t bringing freedom or democracy in Iran, and well more than a thousand Iranian civilians have already been killed while the authoritarian government in Iran remains entrenched.
“These war power resolutions represented the first, but not the last, test of these lawmakers’ vision and courage. Near majorities in Congress – 47% of Senators and 49% of Representatives – voted to end this unauthorized, illegal war. Now we know who stood up to lies, illegality and war crimes, and who stood true to the Constitution, the American people and global peace. Yet there will be many other tests, including as the administration seeks to fund its insane quagmire and as defenders of this war grow increasingly wary of the mounting costs. This war will end, and the sooner the better for the United States and the people of Iran.”
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