00:00Thank you very much for joining me.
00:19In the year 2025, one might have hoped that the global community would be working together
00:26to address the existential threat of climate change, working to prevent future pandemics,
00:32working to address the massive levels of income and wealth inequality that exist,
00:37working to improve the standard of living of struggling people all over the world.
00:42But tragically, that is not where we are today, quite the contrary.
00:47Instead of addressing the major crises that we face, the world is now looking at the terrible
00:52war in Ukraine started by Putin, which has taken hundreds of thousands of lives over the last
00:58three years. We are looking at the horrific war in Gaza, where as we speak, thousands of
01:04Palestinian children are facing starvation due to Israel's inhumane and illegal war policies.
01:11And now we face a dangerous and escalating war in Iran, which was begun in violation of
01:18international law by the extremist Netanyahu government. And the main point that I want to
01:24make today is that it is absolutely imperative that the United States not be dragged into this war.
01:32Let me say a word about how this war began. On Thursday, Netanyahu launched an illegal and unilateral
01:41surprise attack on Iran, bombing targets across the country and killing hundreds of people.
01:47Iran has responded with attacks of its own, which have killed dozens of people in Israel.
01:54Whatever you may think of the corrupt and authoritarian Iranian regime,
01:58Israel's attack clearly violated international law and the United Nations Charter. While every
02:05country has the right to defend itself, they do not have the right to launch so-called preemptive wars
02:12of this kind. But let's remember who Netanyahu is. He is a war criminal under indictment by the
02:19International Criminal Court for starving innocent people and killing civilians in Gaza. At this very
02:26moment in Gaza, Israel continues to prevent the UN from delivering humanitarian aid. And just today in Gaza,
02:35Israeli tanks fired into a crowd desperately trying to collect food, killing at least 59 people.
02:45So it should come as little surprise that Netanyahu ignored international law to start this war with Iran.
02:54But Netanyahu's decision to strike also directly contravened the express wishes of the United States,
03:01which was seeking a diplomatic resolution to the long-standing tensions around Iran's nuclear program.
03:09In recent months, the United States has held five rounds of negotiations with Iran to resolve these
03:18long-standing concerns. Let me repeat. In recent months, the United States has held five rounds of negotiations
03:27with Iran to resolve these long-standing concerns. A sixth round of talks was planned for Sunday.
03:35But Netanyahu chose instead to start this war. So let's be clear. Israel's attack was specifically designed
03:44to sabotage American diplomatic efforts. In fact, in its first round of strikes, Israel assassinated
03:53the man overseeing Iran's nuclear negotiating team. And let's also remember that U.S. intelligence has never
04:03indicated that Iran has made the decision to build a nuclear weapon. Just a few months ago, Trump's own
04:11director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbitt, testified to Congress that, quote,
04:16quote, the intelligence community continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon, end of
04:24quote. But Netanyahu chose to attack, crippling diplomatic efforts and risking a full-blown regional war.
04:33He is now openly talking about regime change in Iran and threatening to kill the political leadership of
04:39that country without any thought to the chaos that might ensue. Let's also not forget that the current
04:46Islamic regime in Iran is itself the product of a Western-backed coup in 1953 that overthrew the
04:56democratically elected government of Iran and replaced it with a corrupt autocrat.
05:02The critical question now is whether the United States will get dragged into Netanyahu's war. In
05:10my view, that would be a disaster. The United States must not be involved with another Netanyahu war, not
05:19militarily or financially. The United States Constitution is crystal clear. There can be no offensive use of
05:28military force against Iran or any other country without an explicit authorization from Congress.
05:36No such authorization exists and any U.S. involvement would therefore be illegal.
05:43The United States has already provided hundreds of billions of dollars to Israel over the last many decades.
05:50Last year alone, U.S. taxpayers provided more than $22 billion in military aid to Israel.
05:57Meanwhile, while providing massive aid to Israel, we have Americans sleeping out on the street,
06:05unable to afford health care or other basic necessities. Enough is enough.
06:12President Trump ran as a supposed peace candidate. In his inaugural address, he said, and I quote,
06:18my proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and unifier. That's what I want to be, a peacemaker and a unifier.
06:26End quote. Very fine words. Trump should remember them today. Supporting Netanyahu's war against Iran
06:35would be a catastrophic mistake. Instead of going to war, Trump must work with the international community
06:42to rein in Netanyahu and urgently push for a diplomatic solution. Netanyahu's illegal attack has made the world
06:51a more dangerous place. The United States must not be a part of this war. Thank you very much.
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