DPJC Position Statement

Diplomacy Not War With Iran

(9/17, Dallas, TX) Although Houthi rebels have claimed responsibility for the September 14th drone strike of an oil-processing facility in Saudi Arabia, US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, without presenting any evidence, is blaming Iran for the attack.

According to Bill Maxwell, board member of the Dallas Peace and Justice Center (DPJC), “It should be clear to all that Pompeo and the US government are beating the drums of war to convince the world and Americans that war with Iran is inevitable. Few outside the United States are convinced, and Americans, tired of endless wars, are disinclined to agree.”

DPJC'S executive director, Hadi Jawad, said, “We must keep in mind this was not a direct attack on American assets. A war with Iran would unnecessarily put at risk the lives of 70,000 US troops deployed in the region prompting the Pentagon to urge the White House for restraint. A better response is to end US military support for Saudi Arabia's war against Yemen, return to the painstakingly negotiated Iran Nuclear deal by the Obama administration. The US must defuse tensions, not escalate hostilities.”

According to The Watson Institute at Brown University, the US federal price tag for post 9/11 wars is a staggering $5.9 trillion, with 244,000 civilian casualties and 21 million war refugees. A war with Iran could rapidly become regional, roil world oil markets, cause a world-wide recession, create millions of additional war refugees and draw neighboring countries like Qatar, Bahrain, Lebanon and the UAE into a shooting war.

“We call upon the US to re-engage Iran with serious diplomacy, end the cruel sanctions that punish the civilian population in Iran, and work to prevent Saudi Arabia and Israel from starting yet another war in the Middle East. This is not the time for saber-rattling or beating the drums of war, but the hard work of diplomacy." Bill Maxwell said.