Washington, DC – National Iranian American Council (NIAC) welcomes the retraction of Congressman Jeff Van Drew’s false and dangerous claim that an “Iranian mothership” was responsible for the alleged drones sighted in the airspace of New Jersey. NIAC urged that Congressman Van Drew correct his statement in a letter last Thursday, December 12.
“At a time of heightened tensions in which war hawks are openly calling for the U.S. to attack Iran, spreading misinformation to scare Americans into fearing a so-called Iranian threat is profoundly reckless and we are glad the Congressman corrected the record,” said NIAC Policy Director Ryan Costello. “Regrettably, fear mongering about supposed security threats, particularly Iran, is all too common from our elected officials and the war industry in Washington and contributes both to the securitization of U.S. policy and xenophobia against Iranian Americans.”
With increased calls for U.S. war with Iran and tensions simmering across the region, NIAC has been vigilant in calling out misinformation that could be used to sell the American public on a war under false pretenses. Unfortunately, fear mongering and animus about Iran and Iranians is common in Congress, from Senator Lindsey Graham saying he would be horrified to discover he had Iranian heritage, to Senator James Risch suggesting all Iranians are liars, to Senator Susan Collins sharing that she initially believed January 6 was “the Iranians” attacking.
“Unfortunately, Congressman Van Drew’s initial false statement was broadcast to an audience of millions while his retraction was buried in a Friday news dump posted to his website. It is imperative that Americans who do not want a new military adventure in the Middle East scrutinize policymakers and elected officials’ claims and hold them accountable to the facts.”
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