Saint Louis – Veterans For Peace, a leading peace organization of military veterans, joined with sixty-one organizations to deliver a joint letter to the Senate onTuesday urging Senators to oppose new Iran sanctions legislation, S.1881. They say that the legislation would “critically endanger the possibility of a diplomatic resolution to the nuclear standoff with Iran, increasing the likelihood of a nuclear-armed Iran and an unnecessary and costly war.”
The letter, organized by the National Iranian American Council, Friends Committee on National Legislation, and Win Without War, was signed by progressive groups including CREDO, MoveOn.org and Daily Kos; pro-Israel groups including Americans for Peace Now and J Street; and religious organizations including the United Methodist Church.
Veterans For Peace Interim Executive Director Michael McPhearson stated, “After decades of ill will and mistrust between the U.S. and Iran, now is not the time to throw up barricades to building a new relationship. Apparently there are Senators who believe war is the answer to every international problem. The American people are war weary and wary. We want to continue to pursue a path to peace and not pave a road to war.”
The organization has also issued a position statement rejecting the bill. The statement questions the hypocrisy of the U.S. government, which possesses the world's second largest nuclear arsenal behind Russia and is the only country in the world to have used nuclear weapons. The statement goes on to point out that the U.S. government never questions the nuclear weapons policy of Israel which is believed to have between 80 to 200 nuclear weapons and that Iran does not have even one.
The veterans’ group urges the U.S. Senate to work for peace by calling for a Nuclear Weapons and Weapons of Mass Destruction-Free Zone in the Middle East. and the reduction of U.S. nuclear stockpiles.
Patrick McCann, President of Veterans For Peace stated, “Iran has good reason to mistrust the U.S. government. We encourage the American people to study the history of U.S. meddling in Iran, including the overthrow (at the prompting of British Petroleum) of the democratically-elected government of Mohammed Mossadegh in 1952, and see through the lies of the politicians, who serve those who covet Iran's oil.”
Veterans For Peace urges its members and the general public to contact their Senator and urge them to vote NO on the Nuclear Weapon Free Iran Act of 2013 (S. 1881).VFP is urging members to visit their local and D.C. Senate offices. Many members of the group are organizing to participate in civil disobedience to support diplomacy and to lift voices of peace.