Rep. Yassamin Ansari criticized President Donald Trump’s latest move in his conflict with Iran on Tuesday, saying it was an “illegal and reckless war” started without Congress, which has already caused thousands of civilian deaths in the Middle East region.
In a chat with Pablo Reports, Rep. Ansari said that President Trump has not given the American people a real reason to escalate the conflict, which began on March 1 under the code name Operation Epic Fury.
“I think Donald Trump has never presented a justification to the American people about why he has embarked upon an illegal and highly reckless war that has already resulted in thousands of civilian deaths, not just in Iran, but in Lebanon, across the region, has left Americans stranded in the Middle East with no help from the State Department. He has not ruled out troops on the ground. 5,000 American troops are on their way to the Middle East. Americans don’t want their sons and daughters dying in a war.”
The operation, which was dubbed Operation Epic Fury, began with strikes by the US and Israel targeting Iranian nuclear and missile programs. By the 19th day of the operation, the operation also involved public calls for the Iranian regime to surrender, as well as reports of key Iranian officials being assassinated, including the country’s ex-Senate President Ali Larijani.
Ansari also took the opportunity to criticize Trump on the way the US handles its alliances.
“And as it relates to NATO, he has consistently offended and betrayed our allies in NATO,” Ansari said. “And so the expectation that NATO would now support his reckless endeavors is unbelievable.”
Ansari reiterated her position in the interview with the newspaper on social media.
“Trump has repeatedly abandoned our NATO allies. He also launched an illegal, reckless war that’s already cost American lives, killed thousands of civilians, and left Americans stranded abroad. And there’s still no plan and no justification made to the American people. Insane,” Ansari tweeted.
Trump was also seen complaining that NATO was not sending troops to the Middle East, although he had previously criticized the alliance. The White House did not respond to Ansari’s claims but stated that the operation was targeting the Iranian military threat.
