Washington D.C. – National Iranian American Council President Jamal Abdi has issued the following statement:
“We welcome the news that a ceasefire has been brokered in the senseless and illegal war that Israel and the U.S. waged on Iran. Now we hope that the countless families who have been displaced and who are grieving the deaths of their loved ones will get some relief.
“Despite a lot of chest thumping and triumphalism, little was achieved in this war besides more death, more destruction, and greater uncertainty for what comes next.
“Was Iran’s nuclear program eliminated? No. Significant questions remain about key components of Iran’s nuclear program, and where it goes from here.
“Were Iranian citizens helped by these bombs? No. Many innocents were killed, including in strikes on apartment buildings, and millions more were displaced from their homes.
“Is Israeli security strengthened? No. It triggered attacks on its own territory and did not deal a knockout blow to Iran’s nuclear program, which is likely to reconstitute with less international understanding of the program’s scope.
“Was American security strengthened? Again, no. Restraint prevented loss of American lives thus far, but the likelihood of the U.S. again entering a war of choice significantly increased as serious questions remain regarding the status and future of Iran’s nuclear program.
“This war set Iran’s nuclear program back by 2-5 years and has led to unprecedented calls inside Iran to withdraw from the Non Proliferation Treaty, eject inspectors, and pursue weaponization. Compare that to the diplomatic agreement Trump tore up, which set Iran’s program back by at least 15 years and implemented the most intrusive inspection regime in history.
“Only diplomacy – meaning sincere negotiations focused on compromise, not capitulation – can guard against the new dangers this reckless war has imposed and pave the path to peace and true security. The extreme neoconservatives who pushed this war brought only death and destruction, and must be sidelined from decision making moving forward.”