“Iran is acting on its warnings that it cannot uphold the agreement unilaterally. As such, Trump has initiated a chain reaction that will make America and the world less safe.”
Jamal Abdi, president of the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), expressed concern about the Iranian government’s decision to begin pulling back from the nuclear accord—but noted the move did not “occur in a vacuum.”
“Donald Trump, spurred on by John Bolton and [Secretary of State] Mike Pompeo, has been trying for months to shatter the nuclear deal,” Abdi said in a statement. “Now, he will own the consequences of Iran resuming aspects of its nuclear program.”
Abdi highlighted the startling similarities between Trump’s escalation of tensions with Iran and the George W. Bush administration’s rhetoric and actions in the run-up to the Iraq invasion.
“Members of the Trump administration appear to be repeating the George W. Bush administration’s playbook for war with Iraq—tying Iran to al-Qaeda, baselessly stating that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons, and politicizing intelligence assessments on Iran,” said Abdi. “Bolton has gone into overdrive in recent weeks to spur Iranian retaliation to justify his reckless aggression.”
Progressive advocacy group MoveOn also noted that the Trump administration’s attempts to escalate tensions with Iran are “alarmingly familiar”:
Trump is pushing us toward the brink of war with Iran — and it all sounds alarmingly familiar. pic.twitter.com/FJ1hCgjlwf
— MoveOn (@MoveOn) May 8, 2019
“The Iran deal closed off Iran’s paths to a nuclear weapon,” said Parsi. “Now, a year after Trump pulled out, Iran is acting on its warnings that it cannot uphold the agreement unilaterally. As such, Trump has initiated a chain reaction that will make America and the world less safe.”
