WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th May, 2019) The Trump administration's recent actions against Iran have put the United States on track for a costly and devastating war with the Islamic Republic, US lawmakers warned on Wednesday.
"The recent statements and actions taken by the Administration have heightened my concern of a cycle of escalation with Iran - one that could put us on the path to a war that would be destabilizing, costly, and contrary to our national interest,"� House Select Intelligence Committee Chairman Congressman Adam Schiff said in a statement.
Tensions between the US and Iran have been escalating in recent days, and the Pentagon over the weekend deployed an aircraft carrier strike group and bomber task force to the Persian Gulf in what a senior administration official called a "clear and unmistakable" message to the Islamic Republic.
He emphasized that in the United States, only the Congress has the authority to declare war, not the president. He also warned against any attempt by the White House to reinterpret the Congress' previous authorization for war against the Al-Qaeda terrorist group (banned in Russia) in order to launch a war against Iran.�
"Senior administration officials, most recently Secretary (of State Michael) Pompeo, have suggested that the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force against al-Qaeda and those who conducted the 9/11 attacks might provide a legal basis for action against Iran. Quite plainly, it does not," he said.
US Senator Chris Murphy meanwhile said Iran's moves to restart its nuclear program were the direct consequence of President Donald Trump's decision to pull out of the historic international nuclear agreement, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Earlier on Wednesday, Tehran announced that it had partially discontinued its commitments under the deal and gave remaining parties to the accord 60 days to ensure Iran's interests were protected under the agreement.
"Iran's moves to restart their nuclear program are a direct consequence of the Trump administration withdrawing from the Iran deal and Trump's blind, meandering escalatory Iranian policy," Murphy said.
On Sunday, White House National Security Adviser John Bolton in a statement said that the United States had deployed the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and a bomber task force to the US Central Command (CENTCOM) region in the middle East as "a clear and unmistakable message to the Iranian regime."
The move comes on the heels of growing tensions between Tehran and Washington, sparked by the US decision to reimpose sanctions on Iran and make all countries end their Iranian oil imports in a bid to strike a blow against the Islamic Republic's economy.
On May 8, 2018, the United States announced its decision to leave the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and reinstate wide-ranging sanctions on Tehran, including secondary sanctions against companies and financial institutions of countries that do business with the Middle Eastern country. Washington also vowed to drive Iran's oil exports down to zero and demanded that others countries stop any such purchases.
