U.S. Conference of Mayors to Consider Iran Resolution

The U.S. Conference of Mayors is holding its annual meeting from June 20-24 in Miami, Florida. Mayor Bob Kiss of Burlington, Vermont submitted a timely resolution to the International Affairs Committee urging the Bush Administration to pursue diplomatic engagement with Iran on nuclear issues and ending the violence in Iraq; and urging Congress to prohibit the use of funds to carry out any military action against Iran without explicit Congressional authorization. The resolution currently has 20 co-sponsors: Dave Norris, Charlottesville, VA; R.T. Rybak, Minneapolis, MN; William D. Euille, Alexandria, VA; Joy Cooper, Hallandale Beach, FL; Marty Blum, Santa Barbara, CA; Dan Coody, Fayetteville, AK; Kevin Foy, Chapel Hill, NC; Gayle McLaughlin, Richmond, CA; Kitty Piercy, Eugene, OR; Elaine Walker, Bowling Green, KY; Jeff Prang, West Hollywood, CA; Rhine McLin, Dayton, OH; Jennifer Hosterman, Pleasanton, CA; Laurel Lunt Prussing, Urbana, IL; Anthony B Santos, San Leandro, CA; J. Christian Bollwage, Elizabeth, NJ; Scott J. Brook, Coral Springs, FL; and Bruce R. Williams, Takoma Park, MD. Below is a full text of the resolution.

RESOLUTION OPPOSING MILITARY INTERVENTION IN IRAN SUBMITTED TO THE US CONFERENCE OF MAYORS

1. WHEREAS, the President and members of his Administration have alleged that Iran poses an imminent threat to the United States, U.S. troops in the Middle East and U.S. allies; and

2. WHEREAS, these allegations are similar to the lead-up to the Iraq War and U.S. occupation, with the selective use of information and unsubstantiated accusations about Iran's nuclear program and its supply of weapons to Iraqi forces as centerpieces of a case to the American people for aggression against Iran; and

3. WHEREAS, Iran has not threatened to attack the United States, and no compelling evidence has been presented to document that Iran poses a real and imminent threat to the security and safety of the United States that would justify an unprovoked unilateral pre-emptive military attack; and

4. WHEREAS, we support the people of Iran who are struggling for freedom and democracy, and nothing herein should be misconstrued as support for the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, but it should be understood that a unilateral, pre-emptive U.S. military attack on Iran could well prove counterproductive to the cause of promoting freedom and democracy there; and

5. WHEREAS, a 2007 National Intelligence Estimate (NIE), representing the consensus view all 16 U.S. intelligence agencies, concluded that Iran froze its nuclear weapons program in 2003, and an earlier NIE concluded that Iran’s involvement in Iraq “is not likely to be a major driver of violence” there; and

6. WHEREAS, an attack on Iran is likely to cause untold thousands of American and Iranian casualties, lead to major economic dislocations, and threaten even greater destabilization in the Middle East; and

7. WHEREAS, a pre-emptive U.S. military attack on Iran would violate international law and our commitments under the U.N. Charter and further isolate the U.S. from the rest of the world; and

8. WHEREAS, an attack on Iran is likely to inflame hatred for the U.S. in the Middle East and elsewhere, inspire terrorism, and lessen the security of Americans; and

9. WHEREAS, the Iraq war and occupation has already cost the lives of over 4,000 American soldiers, the maiming and wounding of over 38,000 American soldiers, the death and maiming of over one million Iraqi civilians; and

10. WHEREAS, the Iraq War and occupation has cost U.S. taxpayers more than $500 billion, depriving our cities of much-need funds for services and infrastructure; and

11. WHEREAS, except at our peril, we cannot ignore the history of U.S. government misinformation used to inspire U.S. aggression in Vietnam and again in Iraq, as embodied in the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution and more recently in the what we know now as false claims of weapons of mass destruction; and

12. WHEREAS, any conflict with Iran is likely to incur far greater costs and divert more precious national resources away from critical human needs,

13. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the U.S. Conference of Mayors hereby urges the Bush Administration to pursue diplomatic engagement with Iran on nuclear issues and ending the violence in Iraq; and

14. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the U.S. Conference of Mayors urges Congress to prohibit the use of funds to carry out any military action against Iran without explicit Congressional authorization; and

15. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that suitable copies of the resolution be forwarded to President George W. Bush and all members of Congress.

Projected Cost: Unknown