Democratic presidential candidate and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders condemned the killing of Iran’s Qassim Soleimani Friday and reminded voters of his record voting against previous U.S. military interventions, including the war in Iraq.
“Let us not forget that when Trump took office, we had a nuclear agreement with Iran, negotiated by the Obama administration along with our closest allies,” Sanders said at a campaign event in Iowa. “The wise course would have been to stick with that nuclear agreement, enforce its provisions, and use that diplomatic channel.”
The Iran deal sent the world’s largest state sponsor of terror billions of American dollars and weakened inspections of the regime’s nuclear weapons program. The deal also made it more likely the terrorist regime would ultimately get nuclear weapons and enabled a dramatic increase in its world terrorism activities.
“Trump ignored the advice of his own security officials, and listened to right-wing extremists, some of whom were exactly the same people who got us into the war in Iraq in the first place,” Sanders charged. He didn’t make clear whether as president he would exact any price on foreign enemies who kill Americans, Trump’s stated rationale for the strike.
Sander’s criticism of President Donald Trump’s actions on Iran come as the senator leads in New Hampshire and holds a close second place in Iowa, the first two contest states of the Democratic primary.
According to Real Clear Politics’ latest aggregate of polls, Sanders is pulling 20 percent support in Iowa compared to former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s 22. In New Hampshire, Sanders leads the crowded field with 19 percent while Buttigieg garners nearly 18.
Trump ordered the take-out of Soleimani, Iran’s most senior general of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, Thursday following an Iranian-affiliated militia storming the U.S. embassy in Baghdad.
Soleimani, 62, was the world’s most dangerous terrorist responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Americans. He served as the head of the Quds Force since 1988. His death has spiked tensions between the United States and Iran that have already risen to new heights following a series of events including the attack on the American embassy earlier this week.
