Fight Covid 19 Not Iran!
Fight Covid 19 Not Iran!
Speech by Meredith Aby-Keirstead for the Anti-War Committee at our car protest in front of Senator Smith’s office in St. Paul on April 26, 2020
President Donald Trump tweeted Wednesday morning that he has instructed the U.S. Navy to “shoot down and destroy” any Iranian vessels that “harass” American warships in the Persian Gulf. This is obviously an attempt to distract from the president’s abysmal response to the deadly coronavirus pandemic, which has now infected more than 800,000 people and killed at least 50,000 in the United States alone.
The threat of U.S. military action is in addition to the inhuman destruction of Iran’s healthcare system by U.S. sanctions. The U.S. has cut off access to crucial medical supplies as Iran battles over 90,000 cases of COVID-19. We are here today to say NO to US military action and to acknowledge that US sanctions are already waging a war on Iran.
Trump’s threat of military action is out of step even with other imperialist countries. This month the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called on the world to declare an immediate ceasefire and to instead battle COVID-19, which he called “the true fight of our lives.” The UN is even with us as we chant today “Fight COVID-19 not Iran!”
In some ways it is no surprise that Trump is escalating threats and sanctions on Iran. President Trump has been escalating attacks and sanctions against Iran since he started his term. He banned immigration from Iran with his racist Muslim ban. He pulled the US out of the JCPOA – aka the Iran Nuclear Deal. He ordered the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani in Iraq this year. And he has increased the noose of US sanctions 10 fold.
Almost as disturbing as the president’s actions taking us closer and closer to war with Iran has been the silence from most of MN’s congressional delegation. Since Tina Smith took office as MN’s junior senator in 2018 she has said close to nothing on matters of US foreign policy despite the president threatening war on Iran and Venezuela multiple times since she took office.
We call on Senator Smith to join with Representative Ilhan Omar in denouncing Trump’s attacks and sanctions on Iran. We are here today to highlight Smith’s silence as US policy kills civilians in Iran. However, it is important that we not give the other members of MN’s delegation a free pass either.
Please join me loudly in chanting – The people of Iran are under attack! What do we do? Stand Up! Fight Back!