parliament must scrutinise military involvement
27 May, 2019
War with Iran would cause terrible civilian suffering and risks being another reckless venture based on lies and hypocrisy.
Any proposal for Australian troops to join US military action against Iran should receive exhaustive scrutiny in our parliament.
Such scrutiny should consider known facts:
- In May 2018, the US unilaterally withdrew from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Program of Action (JCPOA), against the wishes of US allies such as Australia and the other JCPOA members. The Program had successfully prevented Iranian nuclear weapons-related activities.
- The International Atomic Energy Agency has consistently certified Iran’s compliance with the terms of the JCPOA, most recently in February this year, despite the re-imposition of harsh economic sanctions against Iran by the US.
- The US has approximately 6,450 nuclear weapons and is helping create a new nuclear arms race with new weapons programs. Iran has no nuclear weapons.
- The US has not produced any firm evidence of hostile Iranian actions.
MAPW unequivocally opposes any moves that will escalate tensions, and we call on our government to resist a slide to war.
A million people died as a result of the reckless invasion of Iraq in 2003 - we have seen all this before.
War with Iran would be likely to have appalling consequences for health, through direct trauma, large scale displacements and indirect effects such as infectious disease outbreaks and the collapse of healthcare systems.
Australia still supports the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. We need open communication channels, so that misunderstandings and escalation are avoided.
The US seems determined to provoke Iran into hostility.
MAPW urges all parliamentarians to exercise their duty to protect our nation’s interests, to demand debate on this critical issue in our parliament, and to keep us out of any more ill-advised and disastrous wars
Donald Trump sends troops to Middle East 'as defence against Iran' as tensions escalate.