Written by Bryan Bowman and Greg Williams at FCNL (Friends Committee on National
Legislation); reprinted with permission; originally written for “This Week in
the World” email from FCNL May 8, 2026
Despite the fragile ceasefire in the Middle East, tensions
and violence in the region are once again escalating.
On (last) Thursday (the 7th), the U.S. military
carried out strikes on Iranian military facilities after U.S. Navy ships
exchanged fire with Iranian vessels.
The United Arab Emirates was attacked by Iranian missiles,
while Israel carried out renewed airstrikes in Lebanon, killing dozens
including a paramedic and two children.
(Last week, Friday), the U.S. military also fired on two
Iranian oil tankers that U.S. officials said were attempting to circumvent the
Trump administration’s blockade on Iranian ports.
Though President Trump has sought to downplay these
incidents, he issued another appalling threat of mass violence if Iranian
leaders don’t agree to U.S. demands to end the war.
“Threatening to make Iran glow - with nuclear weapons or
otherwise - is an almost unthinkable threat to commit a mass war crime against
92 million people,” the National Iranian American Council said. “It must never
be normalized.”
More war is not the answer. Any further escalation will only
compound the disastrous consequences that have been unleashed by this immoral
war.
Further, continued U.S. strikes against Iran are now “triply
illegal,” experts say, violating the Constitution, the U.N. Charter, and now
the War Powers Resolution’s 60-day deadline to receive congressional
authorization.
As we hold everyone impacted by this violence in the Light,
FCNL and our network around the country are advocating tirelessly for peace.
FCNL was a lead organization sponsor of the No War Act
introduced by Rep. Val Hoyle (OR-04), seeking to block any further funding for
the war through the budget reconciliation process.
FCNL’s Advocacy Teams are also playing a crucial role. Three
new teams in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Indiana are joining hundreds of
constituents across the country in strategic lobbying to stop the war.
As experts Tess Bridgeman and Brian Finucane wrote, “It is
now, yet again, Congress’s responsibility to assert its constitutional
prerogatives” to stop this war and “rein in a lawless executive."
"And it is in turn the responsibility of the U.S.
public to hold elected representatives accountable."
Bryan Bowman is Social Media and Communications Strategist
with FCNL, and Greg Williams is Senior Communications Director with FCNL.
No comments:
Post a Comment