Statement on the War in Iran

I survived one pointless war in the Middle East, and I have no interest in sending my sons to another pointless war in the Middle East.

We all understand that the world is full of bad actors, and no one would defend the actions of those who seek to terrorize the majority of people in the world who are peaceful. But our elected representatives have a duty to deal with bad actors using the least force necessary.

There is no indication that Iran poses an imminent threat to the United States or our allies. Last June, the White House told us — in detail — that Iran’s nuclear program had been “obliterated.”¹ The President, the Secretary of Defense, the Director of National Intelligence, the IAEA, and independent nuclear experts all confirmed it. If that was true then, what imminent threat justifies a new war now? If it wasn’t true, then the administration misled us. Either way, we deserve an answer.

We want everyone in the world to benefit from democratic institutions, but our recent attempts to install democracy in Iraq and Afghanistan through the barrel of a gun suggest that approach does not work. After 20 years in Afghanistan, it promptly turned into chaos when we left. No one has explained why this time would be different.

Our track record of starting negotiations and then killing the people we were negotiating with has destroyed the credibility of US diplomacy. I do not mourn for the death of Iran’s leaders; I mourn for the death of US diplomacy. When no adversary has reason to trust us, we are all less safe.

Finally, our Constitution says that Congress, not the president, has the power to declare war. The president can defend against imminent threats, but regime change is not self-defense. The existing Authorizations for Use of Military Force were written for Al Qaeda and Iraq — not Iran. Without a new authorization from Congress, this war lacks constitutional authority.

I hope that we are able to de-escalate this situation quickly without any more lives being lost.

I pray for the safety of all the people in harm’s way right now.