The Green Party is calling for a peaceful resolution to tensions with Iran as a series of recent events has unfolded into an escalating crisis between the two countries.

A June 13th attack on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman has been blamed on Iran by the U.S., as well as allies and critics. On June 19th, Iranian forces downed an unarmed U.S. Navy RQ-4 Global Hawk spy drone over the Strait of Hormuz, asserting that it had traveled into Iranian air space.

Green Party of the United States
www.gp.org

For Immediate Release:
June 21, 2019

Contacts:
Holly Hart, Co-chair, Media Committee [email protected] 202-804-2758
Craig Seeman, Co-chair, Media Committee [email protected] 202-804-2758
Rita Jacobs, Co-chair, GPUS Peace Action Committee [email protected] 517 694-8109

Green Party leaders responded to the news with an impassioned call for restraint and a plea for peace to remain the greatest priority in addressing the incidents, urging U.S leaders to commit to engage diplomatically with Iran despite rising tensions between the two countries.

While there have been conflicting reports and analyses, the U.S. has responded to the allegations of Iran’s involvement in the attack on the oil tankers with the deployment of an additional one thousand U.S. troops to the Middle East. In May, the U.S. dispatched the USS Abraham Lincoln to the Middle East region, in addition to a squadron of B-52 bombers. Additionally, the U.S. government claims Iran threatens to break a key nuclear agreement regarding uranium enrichment, even though the U.S. has already reneged on the deal by imposing extreme sanctions for nearly 40 years, creating great hardship for Iranian citizens.

Some analysts believe Iran’s actions may indicate a risky gambit to end the sanctions (Trump says Iran attacked two oil tankers. Some of his critics agree).

“We must not allow tensions to continue to escalate in regard to Iran,” said Madelyn Hoffman, a Green Party candidate for U.S Senate in 2020 in New Jersey who is well known for her dedicated and outspoken anti-war activism. “A peaceful solution to these rising tensions is the only moral solution. We must not be dragged into a major military conflict with Iran. A lasting peace must be our goal in the Middle East, not a horrific and devastating war.”

“Escalation in the Middle East must end now before we become embroiled in yet another destructive armed conflict,” said Rita Jacobs, Co-chair of the Green Party’s Peace Action Committee. “It’s not worth risking thousands of US citizen’s lives over these recent happenings. We must work to find a peaceful resolution to the emerging situation in Iran. Our country needs to step back from the brink of war and put all of its energy into finding diplomatic solutions to these grave events that are unfolding before us.”

The Green Party platform supports the "joint comprehensive plan of action" signed in July, 2015, by Iran, the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and the European Union, which confirms Iran's status as a zone free of nuclear weapons. According to the United States National Intelligence Estimate, Iran halted an alleged active nuclear weapons program in the Fall of 2003. Iran, which has signed the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, has consistently called for a nuclear-free zone in the entire Middle East.

The plan provides that in return for Iran upholding its agreements to rid itself of nuclear material as verified by inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), current economic sanctions by the US, European Union and U.N. Security Council will be lifted. The Green Party supports the swift elimination of these economic sanctions on Iran and looks to the normalization of relations between Iran and the United States.

For more information:

US prepped for strikes against Iran before approval was withdrawn
Reichamn, Deb; Lolita C. Baldo. Associated Press, Jun. 20, 2019

Trump Approves Strikes on Iran, but Then Abruptly Pulls Back
Shear, Schmitt, Crowley, Haberman.  The New York Times, Jun. 20, 2019

What We Know About Iran Shooting Down a U.s. Drone
Cooper, Helene. The New York Times, Jun. 20, 2019

Trump says Iran attacked two oil tankers.  Some of his critics agree.
Ward, Alex. Vox, Jun. 19, 2019

Tanker attacks seen as risky but calibrated response to U.S sanctions
Deghanpisheh, Babk. Reuters, Jun. 18, 2019

All you need to know about the Global Hawk spy drone shot down by Iran
Gatopolous, Alex. Al Jazeera, Jun. 20, 2019