Washington D.C. – Today, Donald Trump is inaugurated for his second term as President of the United States. As he returns to office with the experience of his first term, the National Iranian American Council (NIAC) urges President Trump to uphold the Constitution, protect the rights of all Americans, and pursue a foreign policy that prioritizes diplomacy and peace over costly and unnecessary wars.
We remain deeply concerned that President Trump has vowed to bring back and reimpose his travel ban that punished American communities and separated families, including many in the Iranian-American community. Restarting this national security theater that originated from a call for a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States” would be a serious mistake. It would undermine goodwill for his administration by dividing and harming Americans at a moment when so many are hopeful for leadership and solutions, and impose real harms. We will fight any effort to impose a blanket ban based on national origin and believe President Trump would be wise to move past this dark chapter rather than reopening it.
As an organization dedicated to preventing war with Iran, we are hopeful that President Trump in his second term will stand up to the neoconservatives and interventionists in favor of a foreign policy that serves the American people. President Trump has a critical opportunity to resolve the nuclear issue, and other critical matters with Iran and in the region, peacefully.
In the President’s first term, the U.S. nearly came to war with Iran and Iran’s nuclear program was unshackled thanks to a neoconservative-led policy that abandoned a working diplomatic agreement, imposed maximum pressure sanctions that crushed ordinary Iranians, and engaged in provocative assassinations that took our countries to the brink. Yet, Trump has increasingly spoken of the urgency of getting the U.S. out of wars and not starting new ones, and on the heavy cost of sanctions for America and the imperative of diplomacy.
On the campaign trail he said often that he would secure a deal with Iran because “the alternative would be impossible.” Now is the time for the President to deliver. The window for negotiations appears to be open, but it could shut quickly – President Biden failed to deliver on his promise of restoring the Iran nuclear deal because of missteps in the opening weeks of his administration, President Trump must not do the same.
At NIAC, we redouble our commitment to safeguarding our community’s rights and moving off the path to war with Iran, and will work with all partners capable of advancing those goals.
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