Opposing the Path to War with Iran

I had a mix-up on the corrected time for a press conference this morning and arrived at the state capitol too late to participate. Here's what I planned to say at that press conference:

I am here to voice concern with the Obama administration's foreign policy in relation to Iran.

Early on, Obama made a valiant attempt to find a diplomatic solution to our differences with Iran but that effort was abandoned prematurely. Instead of diplomacy, this administration is now pursuing a policy of using sanctions to force Iran to not develop nuclear weaponry.

The effect of the sanctions falls disproportionately on the middle class in Iran which comprises the bulk of the pro-democracy green movement in Iran that filled the streets in protest of the stolen elections in 2009. The effect of our sanctions is undermining the green movement which we ought to be supporting, it is strengthening the hand of the extremists in Iran, and it is leading us on the path to yet another war.

I am opposed to war with Iran and I am opposed to Iran developing nuclear weapons.

Frankly, I am opposed to nuclear weaponry in any nation's arsenal.

As long as the world turns a blind eye to nuclear weapons in Pakistan and Israel, it is hypocritical to be overly alarmed about the possibility that Iran might acquire them.

We need to be working for the nuclear disarmament of all nations.

Instead of rejecting agreements like the Tehran Declaration (2010) that was successfully negotiated by Brazil and Turkey, we need to return to the conference table with patient and prolonged diplomatic efforts that give peace a chance.

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For reliable information on recent negotiations with Iran I suggest viewing the video below of a speech at the University of Oklahoma by Trita Parsi, President of the National Iranian American Council.

Trita Parsi on Relations between the U.S., Israel and Iran from Bruce Prescott on Vimeo.

Trita Parsi, President of the National Iranian American Council (NIAC) and author of A Single Roll of the Dice: Obama's Diplomacy with Iran spoke about the need for diplomacy rather than a rush to war with Iran. Parsi spoke at a lunch and discussion session sponsored by the College of International Studies at the University of Oklahoma on March 2, 2012.