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Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) speaks at a news conference. (Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Sanders Launches Petition Urging Lawmakers to Block Military Action Against Iran Without Congressional Approval
War with Iran, warned the senator and 2020 candidate, "will be an unmitigated disaster."
May 17, 2019
As heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran continue to provoke warnings of potential war, Sen. Bernie Sanders released a petition Thursday calling on federal lawmakers to "pass legislation that would prohibit military action against Iran without congressional approval."
"A war in Iran would make the Iraq war look like a walk in the park. It will be an unmitigated disaster," Sanders tweeted Thursday evening from his presidential campaign account.
\u201cA war in Iran would make the Iraq war look like a walk in the park. It will be an unmitigated disaster.\n\nTell Congress to pass legislation that would prohibit Trump from taking military action against Iran without Congressional approval: https://t.co/zzwVU8sech\u201d— Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders) 1558044144
The petition followed the senator's impassioned online address Tuesday night, during which he declared, "The United States Congress must do everything it can to prevent the Trump administration's attempts to put us on the brink of a catastrophic and unconstitutional war with Iran that could lead to even more deaths than the Iraq War."
Sanders also referenced the devastating U.S. war with Iraq in an email encouraging supporters of his presidential campaign to sign the petition:
[It] is almost beyond impossible to imagine that after the horrors of the war in Iraq--a war that upended the regional order of the Middle East and resulted in an untold loss of life--that this administration would put us on such a dangerous path toward more war. But every day we see a new story about how this administration is trying provoke conflict, like sending huge bombers to the region, or raising the possibility of sending more than 100,000 troops.
Apparently for some, almost two decades of constant war is not enough.
Well, unfortunately for this president and people like John Bolton who love endless wars, the constitutional authority for declaring war rests with the United States Congress--not the president--no matter if that president is a Democrat or a Republican.
The senator's call to halt President Donald Trump's march to war with Iran comes as foreign policy experts and peace advocates challenge his administration's narrative of a supposedly increasing Iranian threat. Critics charge that the president, Bolton--Trump's national security adviser--and other hawkish aides are to blame for the recent escalations, rather than Iranian officials.
Although Trump reportedly told Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan earlier this week that he does not want to go to war with Iran, his administration's moves over the past two weeks suggest otherwise. Such moves, as Common Dreams reported, include Bolton using "the scheduled deployment of an American aircraft carrier and bomber task force to the Middle East to threaten Iran with military action."
Sanders, in his Thursday email, countered the Trump administration's approach to Iran, writing that "real American power is not demonstrated by our ability to blow things up, but our ability to forge international consensus around shared challenges."
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As heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran continue to provoke warnings of potential war, Sen. Bernie Sanders released a petition Thursday calling on federal lawmakers to "pass legislation that would prohibit military action against Iran without congressional approval."
"A war in Iran would make the Iraq war look like a walk in the park. It will be an unmitigated disaster," Sanders tweeted Thursday evening from his presidential campaign account.
\u201cA war in Iran would make the Iraq war look like a walk in the park. It will be an unmitigated disaster.\n\nTell Congress to pass legislation that would prohibit Trump from taking military action against Iran without Congressional approval: https://t.co/zzwVU8sech\u201d— Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders) 1558044144
The petition followed the senator's impassioned online address Tuesday night, during which he declared, "The United States Congress must do everything it can to prevent the Trump administration's attempts to put us on the brink of a catastrophic and unconstitutional war with Iran that could lead to even more deaths than the Iraq War."
Sanders also referenced the devastating U.S. war with Iraq in an email encouraging supporters of his presidential campaign to sign the petition:
[It] is almost beyond impossible to imagine that after the horrors of the war in Iraq--a war that upended the regional order of the Middle East and resulted in an untold loss of life--that this administration would put us on such a dangerous path toward more war. But every day we see a new story about how this administration is trying provoke conflict, like sending huge bombers to the region, or raising the possibility of sending more than 100,000 troops.
Apparently for some, almost two decades of constant war is not enough.
Well, unfortunately for this president and people like John Bolton who love endless wars, the constitutional authority for declaring war rests with the United States Congress--not the president--no matter if that president is a Democrat or a Republican.
The senator's call to halt President Donald Trump's march to war with Iran comes as foreign policy experts and peace advocates challenge his administration's narrative of a supposedly increasing Iranian threat. Critics charge that the president, Bolton--Trump's national security adviser--and other hawkish aides are to blame for the recent escalations, rather than Iranian officials.
Although Trump reportedly told Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan earlier this week that he does not want to go to war with Iran, his administration's moves over the past two weeks suggest otherwise. Such moves, as Common Dreams reported, include Bolton using "the scheduled deployment of an American aircraft carrier and bomber task force to the Middle East to threaten Iran with military action."
Sanders, in his Thursday email, countered the Trump administration's approach to Iran, writing that "real American power is not demonstrated by our ability to blow things up, but our ability to forge international consensus around shared challenges."
As heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran continue to provoke warnings of potential war, Sen. Bernie Sanders released a petition Thursday calling on federal lawmakers to "pass legislation that would prohibit military action against Iran without congressional approval."
"A war in Iran would make the Iraq war look like a walk in the park. It will be an unmitigated disaster," Sanders tweeted Thursday evening from his presidential campaign account.
\u201cA war in Iran would make the Iraq war look like a walk in the park. It will be an unmitigated disaster.\n\nTell Congress to pass legislation that would prohibit Trump from taking military action against Iran without Congressional approval: https://t.co/zzwVU8sech\u201d— Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders) 1558044144
The petition followed the senator's impassioned online address Tuesday night, during which he declared, "The United States Congress must do everything it can to prevent the Trump administration's attempts to put us on the brink of a catastrophic and unconstitutional war with Iran that could lead to even more deaths than the Iraq War."
Sanders also referenced the devastating U.S. war with Iraq in an email encouraging supporters of his presidential campaign to sign the petition:
[It] is almost beyond impossible to imagine that after the horrors of the war in Iraq--a war that upended the regional order of the Middle East and resulted in an untold loss of life--that this administration would put us on such a dangerous path toward more war. But every day we see a new story about how this administration is trying provoke conflict, like sending huge bombers to the region, or raising the possibility of sending more than 100,000 troops.
Apparently for some, almost two decades of constant war is not enough.
Well, unfortunately for this president and people like John Bolton who love endless wars, the constitutional authority for declaring war rests with the United States Congress--not the president--no matter if that president is a Democrat or a Republican.
The senator's call to halt President Donald Trump's march to war with Iran comes as foreign policy experts and peace advocates challenge his administration's narrative of a supposedly increasing Iranian threat. Critics charge that the president, Bolton--Trump's national security adviser--and other hawkish aides are to blame for the recent escalations, rather than Iranian officials.
Although Trump reportedly told Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan earlier this week that he does not want to go to war with Iran, his administration's moves over the past two weeks suggest otherwise. Such moves, as Common Dreams reported, include Bolton using "the scheduled deployment of an American aircraft carrier and bomber task force to the Middle East to threaten Iran with military action."
Sanders, in his Thursday email, countered the Trump administration's approach to Iran, writing that "real American power is not demonstrated by our ability to blow things up, but our ability to forge international consensus around shared challenges."
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LATEST NEWS
Critics Allege White House 'Propaganda' After US Bombs Boat Off Venezuela Coast
"This is not about drugs, crime, or national security," asserted one expert. "It is about oil that the US would rather not pay for."
Sep 02, 2025
Critics of US imperialism on Tuesday responded with skepticism after President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a deadly military strike on what they claimed was a boat linked to a drug cartel off the coast of oil-rich Venezuela.
Trump said on his Truth Social network that 11 people were killed by a US attack in "international waters" on a boat "positively identified" as being used by the Tren de Aragua gang. Rubio said the "lethal strike" targeted "a drug vessel which had departed from Venezuela."
On the first day of his second term, Trump signed an executive order designating drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. Last month, the president reportedly signed a secret order directing the Pentagon to use military force to combat drug cartels abroad, sparking fears of renewed US aggression in a region that has endured well over 100 US attacks, invasions, occupations, and other interventions since the issuance of the dubious Monroe Doctrine in 1823.
shout-out to everyone who had Stupider Gulf Of Tonkin for Venezuela on their bingo cards
[image or embed]
— Kelsey Atherton (@atherton.bsky.social) September 2, 2025 at 12:30 PM
Trump has deployed numerous US warships and thousands of sailors and Marines off the coast of Venezuela, a country he has repeatedly threatened with regime change in the face of defiant anti-imperialist resistance from Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
On Monday, Maduro responded to the US escalation during a press conference, telling reporters that he would declare a "republic in arms" in the event of any attack.
"In the face of this maximum military pressure, we have declared maximum preparedness for the defense of Venezuela," he said, calling the US action "an extravagant, unjustifiable, immoral, and absolutely criminal and bloody threat."
"Mr. President, Donald Trump," Maduro added, "watch out, because Mr. Rubio wants to stain your hands with blood."
Armed with the knowledge of more than a century of US meddling in Venezuelan affairs—a history that includes supporting coups and brutal dictatorships and policies of economic strangulation—anti-imperialist critics questioned the motives of Tuesday's attack.
Trump and Rubio celebrating blowing up a tiny Venezuelan boat that barely had enough cocaine for a bachelor party (if it had drugs at all!) is psychotic terrorist shit. Trump sent 7 warships and 4,500 troops to Venezuela to steal the oil and let war criminal Erik Prince occupy and plunder it.
— Secular Talk (@kylekulinskishow.bsky.social) September 2, 2025 at 3:23 PM
"If Venezuela didn't have oil, none of this would happen," one user on the social media site X contended.
Another X user asked, "What happened to Trump campaigning on 'No New Wars?'"
"This has jack shit to do with America First," they added. "Venezuela is zero threat to us. Just another attempt to divert attention away the Epstein files which implicate the rich and powerful across every strata of society."
The independent news site Venezuelanalysis responded to Rubio's announcement in a social media post asking, "Fake propaganda underway?"
"Lil' Marco claims the US military conducted a 'lethal strike' against a drug vessel," the post added, using Trump's old nickname for Rubio. "How did they know it had drugs before striking?"
In an opinion piece published Tuesday by Venezuelanalysis, former Italian parliamentarian and organized crime expert Pino Arlacchi called the latest US aggression against Venezuela a "great hoax" and "geopolitics disguised as 'War on Drugs.'"
"This is not about drugs, crime, or national security," Arlacchi asserted. "It is about oil that the US would rather not pay for."
The Biggest Applause Line From Graham Platner's Labor Day Speech Was About Ending US Bombs in Gaza
And the second biggest was about naming the enemy which his Senate campaign will seek to target: "the oligarchy."
Sep 02, 2025
Graham Platner, the Democratic hopeful in Maine looking to unseat US Sen. Susan Collins next year, received the largest applause of his Labor Day speech in Portland on Monday when he railed against the ill-spent taxpayer money used to support the Israeli genocide in Gaza—a sharp contrast with many in the party who have shied away from such direct criticism of Israeli's assault and the backing it receives from the US government.
Even as support for Israel's assault on Gaza has plummeted among US voters and Americans across the political spectrum have increasingly demanded an arms embargo on the country, a number of Democratic politicians have struggled to keep up with the electorate in recent weeks.
Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg called the conflict in Gaza that's killed more than 63,000 Palestinians and starved hundreds of people "complicated," while Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) last week accused a Jewish comedian of "justifying antisemitism" for noting that more than 80% of people killed by the Israel Defense Forces were civilians. Both responses garnered condemnation from Palestinian rights advocates and progressive commentators.
But on Monday—before a packed house of more than 6,500 in Portland—Platner took a much different approach.
"Our taxpayer dollars can build schools and hospitals in America, not bombs to destroy them in Gaza," said Platner, leading the audience to stand up and applaud for a full 30 seconds.
Platner, a military veteran and oyster farmer who is challenging Collins—a vehement supporter of Israel—has previously spoken about Gaza in an interview for Zeteo, calling Israel's US-backed attack on the territory "the moral test of our time."
He repeated his message on social media Tuesday, saying: "It's not complicated: Not one more taxpayer dollar for genocide."
Platner was speaking at a rally hosted by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), as part of the senator's ongoing Fighting Oligarchy tour—a project that some establishment Democrats have claimed is out of touch with the views of Democratic voters even as Sanders has filled arenas in both red and blue districts across the country.
Rep. Eliss Slotkin (D-Mich.) has claimed the term "oligarchy" is unfamiliar to Americans, but the audience of a reported 6,500 people in Portland evidently didn't have trouble understanding Platner when he named oligarchy as "the enemy" of working Americans.
The line also garnered a standing ovation.
"I've been waiting my entire life," said journalist David Sirota, "for a politician other than Bernie Sanders to just say this."
No Kings Movement Announces Next Day of Nationwide Actions for Oct 18
"No Kings is a non-violent movement that continues to rise stronger, and we’re uniting once again to remind the world: America has No Kings and the power belongs to the people."
Sep 02, 2025
The organizers behind the anti-Trump "No Kings" demonstrations that saw millions take to the streets earlier this year announced Tuesday their next major protest will take place on October 18.
Following thousands of events nationwide on June 14 that brought millions of people out to decry the actions of President Donald Trump, the announcement for the new date, said organizers in a media alert,
comes amid President Trump’s latest escalations: threats to send militarized forces into U.S. cities, the continued detention and encampment of immigrants, and his recent remark that "a lot of people are saying, 'maybe we’d like a dictator.' The October mobilization is designed as a direct, non-violent rebuke to those authoritarian claims.
Fresh links on the website of the No Kings coalition—which includes Indivisible, the ACLU, the American Federation of Teachers, Public Citizen, SEIU, MoveOn, and dozens of others—include a place to 'learn more" about planned actions in your local city and ways to support the effort.
"Just picking a day on the calendar won’t be enough to generate the kind of response we need in this moment," said Invisible in a call to action sent to members on Tuesday. "A national day of protest takes time and immense resources to prepare—tech and online infrastructure, marketing materials, security investments, staging/sounds, and so much more."
With Trump "doubling down on his authoritarian tactics," the group continued, the need for sustained opposition has only grown more clear since the earlier actions.
Trump, said Invisible, "is disappearing immigrants to sprawling concentration camps, sending troops into our cities, threatening to interfere in elections, rigging maps to steal power from the voters, and orchestrating a massive giveaway to his billionaire allies as families struggle. Trump is ramping up his attacks on our rights and democracy, but we’re not backing down. On October 18, we're taking to the streets in more cities and in larger numbers to remind Trump, his cronies, and those on the sidelines looking for hope: America has no kings."
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