|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NIAC President Trita Parsi issued the following statement in regard to the GOP foreign policy debate: “It is shameful that military action was so flippantly endorsed when it is clear that it would inflict such damage to U.S. national intest and to Iran’s democracy movement. Those endorsing military action blatantly disregard the calls of Iranian democracy activists who have warned that war, and threats of war, only undermine their cause.” “War with Iran would be a disaster and would make the Iraq war look like the cake walk it was promised to be. The only way to resolve the stand-off with Iran is through sustained diplomacy. But that takes far more political courage than the decision to send young American servicemen and women off to war.” “Calls for Central Bank sanctions are irresponsible. Such measures would have damaging effects on the U.S. and the global economy, would raise gas prices, kill American jobs, and throw the world into recession. These measures would also create untold humanitarian suffering inside of Iran, along the lines of the crippling sanctions that were implemented against Iraq that failed to displace Saddam Hussein, killed hundreds of thousands of ordinary Iraqis, and ultimately were only lifted after a devastating war.” “The lack of understanding about the situation in Iran was exemplified during the debate by the endorsement of funding “insurgents in Iran” and Iranian “rebels”. Iran’s democratic opposition movement is peaceful and non-violent, and has rejected calls for violence. The fact that the Iranian government’s abysmal human rights record was not referenced even once during the debate speaks volumes.” ### |
|