Bernie Sanders calls US entering Israeli-Iran conflict a 'war based on lies.'
Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont has some choice words on the prospect of war with Iran.
While at a Tulsa, Oklahoma, rally, Sanders reacted to the news of the United States bombing Iran days after missile strikes between Israel and Iran, saying that the attack violated the Constitution and that only Congress can declare war, not the president.
Trump ordered the strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, effectively joining a war that Israel started on June 13 when it began bombing Iranian nuclear and military infrastructure. Israel said it helped the U.S. coordinate and plan the strikes.
Vice President JD Vance insisted Sunday that the U.S. is not entering an open-ended conflict in the Middle East. “We’re not at war with Iran. We’re at war with Iran’s nuclear program.” Vance said on NBC.
Whether the United States has officially declared war on Iran or not, the Vermont senator made his position on entering the conflict very clear in a statement issued late Sunday night.
Bernie Sanders on Israeli-Iran conflict
The senator began his statement by recalling the Vietnam War and the Iraq War, remembering the tens of thousands dead, saying that both wars were started off of lies.
"The American people are being lied to again today," Sanders said. "We cannot allow history to repeat itself."
Sanders also said that the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the United States about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, which the U.S. never found.
"The U.S. faces enormous problems here at home, which we must address," Sanders said. "We cannot allow ourselves to be dragged into another Middle East war based on lies."
Susan Miller and Christopher Cann contributed to the reporting of the story.
Rin Velasco is a trending reporter. She can be reached at rvelasco@gannett.com.