BUMBLING BERNIE: After Trump’s Bombing, Sanders Condemns ‘Lies’ Over Iran Nuclear Threat

In response to President Donald Trump’s recent airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, several lawmakers zeroed in on the fact that the military action took place without the consent of Congress—raising alarms about constitutional overreach. But Senator Bernie Sanders voiced a different concern, directing his outrage at what he described as the “lies” being spread by the Trump administration to justify the operation.

According to the senator from Vermont, this latest assault fits a troubling historical pattern, in which powerful U.S. leaders misled the nation into conflict with dubious claims. The end result, Sanders said, has repeatedly been massive loss of life and little benefit to American security.

“In the 1960s the United States government lied to the American people and took us into a terrible war in Vietnam,” said Sanders. “The result of that war was that over 58,000 young Americans died and many more came back wounded both in mind and in spirit. Millions of Vietnamese were also killed.”

Years later, Sanders noted, the Bush administration claimed Iraq was racing to build weapons of mass destruction—a claim bolstered by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The outcome of that war, Sanders argued, was another disaster based on misinformation.

“The United States invaded Iraq and became embroiled in a long civil war there. No weapons of mass destruction were ever found. That war was based on a lie—a lie which cost us 4,492 young Americans, 32,000 wounded, over half a million Iraqis and trillions of dollars,” said Sanders.

“The American people are being lied to again today,” he added. “We cannot allow history to repeat itself.”

Despite rhetoric suggesting an imminent nuclear threat, U.S. intelligence assessments continue to find no evidence that Iran is currently pursuing a nuclear weapon. These findings support Iran’s official position that its atomic energy efforts are strictly for peaceful purposes.

Sanders released his statement hours after being notified, while speaking at a campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that Trump had greenlit a bombing campaign on three of Iran’s nuclear sites—an action that Iranian leaders immediately condemned as illegal under international norms.

When Sanders read aloud the president’s message regarding the operation, his supporters broke out in a spontaneous chant of “No more war!”—a moment of visible resistance that highlighted the depth of anti-war sentiment among many Americans.

Commenting on the public’s reaction, The Nation’s Jeet Heer pointed to new polling data indicating that just 8% of Americans want the U.S. to directly join Israel’s ongoing military campaign against Iran. Heer said this shows a ripe moment for a nationwide anti-war mobilization.

“There is only one off-ramp from Trump’s mad rush to war: the quick mobilization of an anti-war opposition,” said Heer. “The people are ready.”

Meanwhile, the Trump administration continued to promote the operation as a major blow to Iran’s nuclear capabilities. But progressive strategist Waleed Shahid urged Democratic politicians to shift the conversation—not toward legal technicalities, but to the deeper issue of endless, misleadingly justified foreign conflicts.

“No one ever won a fight yelling, ‘Congressional authorization.’ Voters need clarity amid the chaos,” said Shahid. “Lead with this: No more blank checks for corrupt and endless foreign wars, we’re here to focus on fighting for working Americans.”

Shahid’s remarks echoed Sanders’ focus on deceptive narratives used to drag the country into combat.

“The U.S. faces enormous problems here at home, which we must address,” said Sanders. “We cannot allow ourselves to be dragged into another Middle East war based on lies.”

{Matzav.com}