June 15, 2026–In response to reports that the United States and Iran have reached a ceasefire agreement to be signed by the end of the week, the Center for International Policy’s Executive Vice President Matt Duss issued the following statement:
“With news of a ceasefire agreement to end the disastrous and unnecessary US-Israeli war on Iran, the tragic failure of Donald Trump’s Iran policy has now played out exactly as antiwar critics warned it would.
“Trump said that his war on Iran would be quick, decisive and force the regime to totally capitulate or collapse. We warned it would become a quagmire that would fail to eliminate Iran’s nuclear program, ignite a regional conflict that could threaten the global economy, further strengthen the Iranian regime’s hold on power and cost thousands of lives–including American servicemembers. We were right.
“This diplomatic agreement is critically needed to bring the disaster to an end, and must be fully and swiftly implemented. Nonetheless, the United States will be left in a weakened strategic position – not because of the contents of this agreement, but because of the utter failure of the reckless approach taken by Trump at the urging of pro-war groups in Washington, and a racist, corrupt Israeli Prime Minister.
“US lawmakers from both parties should support the agreement to end this historic and completely avoidable foreign policy disaster. Just as importantly, both Congress and the White House must end the definitively failed approach of ever-increasing sanctions and belligerence toward Iran, and seek to build on this new opening for diplomacy to address the full range of issues–as well as potential opportunities–in the US-Iran relationship.”
April 7, 2026 – Center for International Policy President & CEO Nancy Okail issued the following statement in response to President Trump’s escalating threats against the Iranian people:
“President Trump’s genocidal threats against Iran, including that “a whole civilization may die tonight,” shows he has lost control of an illegal and unnecessary war that he recklessly started. His pledge to launch a major assault specifically targeting civilian infrastructure across Iran is an announcement of an intent to commit wholesale war crimes.
“Partner countries, cabinet officials and Congress must do everything in their power to prevent this slaughter and further civilian deaths, regional escalation and global economic turmoil.
“U.S. allies who have not already done so should immediately prohibit the U.S. military from using their territory, including their airspace, in connection with further attacks on Iran. Trump administration officials, as well as commanders in the U.S. Armed Forces, should uphold their oaths by refusing to carry out unlawful orders issued by the president or others on his behalf.
“Congress should immediately reconvene to pass a War Powers Resolution disengaging U.S. Armed Forces from hostilities against Iran. Lawmakers should also make clear that they will not support any supplemental appropriation whatsoever to fund this unauthorized war.
“It should also be made clear that there must be accountability for those who started this illegal war of choice and committed war crimes in its prosecution. The failure to hold decisionmakers accountable for the U.S. invasion of Iraq and enabling Israel’s genocide in Gaza has led to this extremely dangerous moment in which a lawless president is threatening an entire people with destruction. Upholding the rule of law and basic decency requires that this illegal war end and those responsible for it face justice.”
March 16, 2026 – In response to the spread of the US-Israeli war on Iran, Center for International Policy Vice President Matt Duss issued the following statement:
“As it enters its third week, the US-Israeli war on Iran has escalated into a deadly regional conflict – destabilizing the entire Middle East and undermining global security. At least thirteen U.S. service members have died in the conflict, more than a thousand civilians have been killed across the region, including three hundred children, and over four million people have been displaced.
Millions of people remain in harm’s way as the war spreads to an Israeli invasion in Lebanon and preparation for a possible U.S. ground assault in Iran. Despite President Trump’s repeated claims of success, his demands for support from US allies, particularly to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, indicate a deeply irresponsible lack of planning or strategy for his reckless war.
Congress has the power to stop this descent to chaos.
Lawmakers should hold further votes under the War Powers Resolution to disengage US forces from hostilities with Iran as additional colleagues signal a willingness to support them. While these measures are unlikely in the near term to be fully enacted or serve as a sufficient constraint on the president, they are an important tool to demonstrate the intense political opposition to this war.
It is also critical for lawmakers to exercise the key power they have to restrain the president: the power of the purse. They must deny him a single dollar in new funding for his unauthorized and ballooning war. Both practically and politically, a vote to fund the war is a vote to support and continue the war. Capitulating to Trump’s demand for billions of dollars in new taxpayer funds won’t enhance U.S. security or support our troops–it will allow the president to continue to imperil both by continuing the war that has put them in jeopardy.
It is time for Congress to perform its constitutional duty, uphold the rule of law and the will of the people, and stop this illegal and unnecessary war.”
February 28, 2026 – In response to the launch of major U.S. and Israeli hostilities against Iran, Center for International Policy Executive Vice President Matt Duss issued the following statement:
“The U.S. and Israeli launch of a regime change war in Iran is a crime of aggression, one of gravest possible violations of international law. This illegal and unnecessary war of choice endangers millions of people across the Middle East, including tens of thousands of US service members. In seeking to topple the government of a country nearly four times the size of Iraq and with more than twice the population, President Trump has undertaken one of the most reckless military assaults in U.S. history.
Congress has neither declared war on Iran, nor authorized the president to engage the U.S. Armed Forces against it. There is no evidence of an imminent threat to the United States by Iran that warrants bypassing Congress and violating the Constitution. Trump himself confirmed the lack of an immediate danger with his statement that “we’re doing this, not for now. We’re doing this for the future.”
Congress must act urgently to restrain the president. Votes on measures to disengage U.S. Armed Forces from hostilities with Iran are expected next week in both chambers. Lawmakers should understand that these will be among the most consequential votes of their careers.
Americans and their representatives must also be ready to hold the president and his administration accountable for this breach of U.S. and international law. The failure to hold past presidents liable for war crimes and related violations of our own laws has helped lead to this dangerous moment, with a seemingly unrestrained president endangering millions of lives with impunity. The forever wars and the imperial presidency must finally come to an end.”
February 23, 2026 – In response to the massive U.S. military building in the Middle East and Presidents Trump’s threats of the use of force against Iran, Center for International Policy Executive Vice President Matt Duss issued the following statement:
“President Trump has neither congressional authorization nor any basis in international law to attack Iran. He has provided no evidence that Iran poses an urgent threat to the United States. Like the June 2025 bombings that failed to destroy Iran’s nuclear program, another U.S. strike would be an illegal act of war. As with his false claims that last year’s attack had ‘completely and totally obliterated’ Iran’s nuclear capacity, the president has now dropped the pretense that military intervention would be aimed at protecting Iranian protestors who bravely faced a deadly crackdown to demonstrate against the regime’s many human rights violations.
The American people overwhelmingly do not support launching another costly and bloody war in the Middle East. Polling this month shows that only about one in five U.S. voters favor military action against Iran, while 74 percent of Democrats and a majority of independents oppose it. Even 60 percent of Republicans either oppose or do not know if they would support an attack.
Concerns over Iran’s nuclear program, as well as the regime’s ballistic missile program and grave abuses of Iran’s own people, should be addressed through diplomacy. The fact that current U.S.-Iran talks are reportedly proceeding toward a potential deal which shares key features with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action that Trump broke in 2018 is a positive sign amid the rumblings of imminent war – and further validation that important security objectives are often best achieved at the negotiating table.
With Trump sending mixed signals over the timing and scope of possible strikes — and given his record of attacking even when active diplomacy is taking place – Congress must act swiftly to make clear that the president does not have its authorization for the use of the U.S. Armed Forces against Iran. Relevant measures introduced under the War Powers Resolution in both the House of Representatives and Senate should be brought to a vote and passed as soon as possible. Individual lawmakers should vocally indicate their support for these resolutions and make clear their opposition to another reckless war of choice.”
February 6, 2026 – In response to House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers’ (R-AL) calling for a $450 billion increase in Pentagon funding as part of an upcoming budget reconciliation bill, Center for International Policy, Ari Tolany, Director of Security Assistance, Arms Trade, and Technology, issued the following statement:
“The provision of nearly half a trillion additional dollars to the Pentagon, an institution which has never successfully passed a financial audit, would represent yet more welfare for defense contractors and their shareholders at the American people’s expense.
The cost of living crisis represents the greatest threat facing many Americans, yet the Trump administration prioritizes military occupation of U.S. cities, a war of choice against Venezuela, and threats to strike even more countries across the globe. Massively increasing the taxpayer money funnelled to an already bloated Pentagon budget to fund Trump’s wars and line weapons moguls’ pockets is unconscionable.
Rather than subsidizing more waste in the name of militarism, Congress should push for a more accountable and transparent Pentagon, while investing in food security, transit, healthcare, and quality education that improves human security and everyday Americans’ quality of life.”
February 4, 2026 – The Center for International Policy issued the following statement in response to increasing online harassment and threats against Iranian-American experts and activists:
“The Center for International Policy is appalled by the campaign of online harassment and threats against experts and activists in the field of US-Iran relations who have voiced concerns or provided expert analysis about the consequences of further US or Israeli military strikes on Iran, or who support diplomacy to address areas of conflict and disagreement with Iran.
A January 30th panel cosponsored by CIP and featuring our Senior Fellow Negar Mortazavi had to be changed from an in-person event to online-only following a set of emails to the hosts and panelists terroristically threatening them with “consequences far beyond inconvenience or protest” and “grave danger” to the “safety and security” of all attendees.
Such attempts to intimidate and stoke fears of violence are the antithesis of liberty and democracy. They are the same tactics used by the Iranian regime and other authoritarians to suppress freedom of ideas and speech.
CIP expresses its solidarity and support for our Iranian-American colleagues and other analysts, activists or journalists facing these repugnant and sometimes criminal attacks. We continue to be deeply grateful for their critical contributions toward justice and human security for the Iranian people and all in the region.”
January 12, 2026 – Center for International Policy Executive Vice President Matt Duss issued the following statement in response to reports of the Iranian government’s deadly crackdown on protests across the country:
“The Iranian people deserve freedom and the right to protest without repression or reprisal. The indications that widespread demonstrations by brave Iranians are being met with a brutal, deadly crackdown by the Iranian government are horrific. This violence should be unequivocally condemned.
It is uncertain where these historic protests will lead, but one thing must be made clear: The Iranian people should determine their future for themselves.
It is important for other countries and multilateral bodies to vocally stand for the right of Iranians to protest. It is also critical that no country attempts to intervene inside Iran in a manner that could further endanger or undermine the protestors.
Reports that the United States and Israel may be considering military strikes in Iran are deeply concerning. It is difficult to know what the impact of such attacks would be on the plight of the Iranian protestors, and even less clear what the follow-on consequences would be for the Iranian people and security in the region. Israeli and US strikes against Iranian government targets last year were broadly opposed by Iran’s people and diaspora across almost the entire political spectrum.
What is clear is that President Trump does not now have Congress’ authorization for the use of military force in Iran. Any U.S. strikes would be illegal under both U.S. and international law. The administration should instead focus its efforts on working multilaterally to press Iran’s government to end the killing and other abuse of their own citizens.
January 3, 2026 – In response to the United States launching military attacks in Venezuela, Center for International Policy Executive Vice President Matt Duss issued the following statement:
“Donald Trump has launched an illegal and reckless regime change operation in Venezuela. This act of war violates both U.S. and international law, and follows nearly one hundred extrajudicial killings at sea on Trump’s orders.
“None of this use of military force has been authorized by Congress. Lawmakers must assert their constitutional war powers and force the president to remove U.S. armed forces from the hostilities with Venezuela that he has started. They should also seek other possible legislative measures to impose accountability on this administration for its lawless actions.
“Americans across the political spectrum overwhelmingly do not want to fight another war of choice. 70 percent of U.S. voters oppose taking military action in Venezuela.
“Trump was elected on a promise to end wars, not start them. His illegal aggression against Venezuela once again breaks that promise, and threatens to repeat some of the worst moral and strategic failures of past U.S. military adventurism, for which the American people and communities around the world have paid enormous costs.”
December 17, 2025 – In response to President Trump’s announcement on social media of a blockade of certain ships into and out of Venezuela, Center for International Policy Executive Vice President Matt Duss issued the following statement:
“Donald Trump is starting an illegal and reckless war with Venezuela.
“Blockades, including partial ones like the one announced yesterday by President Trump, are considered acts of war under international law. This act of aggression follows nearly one hundred extrajudicial killings at sea and a massive building of U.S. Armed Forces in the Caribbean on Trump’s orders.
“After a quarter century of bloody and costly military adventurism, Americans overwhelmingly do not want to start or fight another war of choice. 70 percent of U.S. voters oppose taking military action in Venezuela. Trump was elected on a promise to end wars, not start them. Not only is he breaking that promise, his aggression towards Venezuela echoes the worst moments of American imperialist violence and domination in Latin America. We should be moving away from that history, not rebooting it.
“Congress must act to assert its constitutional war powers and stop Trump from launching an illegal and destabilizing war in our hemisphere. Lawmakers are expected to vote imminently on measures under the War Powers Resolution that would make clear the President does not have congressional authorization to engage U.S. Armed Forces in hostilities against Venezuela. Lawmakers who oppose these measures would not only be rejecting the will of the vast majority of the Americans they represent, but also abdicating one of their most solemn sworn duties.”
