Sanders Says Iran War, Like Vietnam and Iraq, Is Based on a Lie

The remark came as Sanders and Slotkin called for a serious debate on the direction of the Democratic Party after last week’s midterm elections, which are set to give Democrats control of the Senate. “Foreign policy is a very important part of that debate in my view,” Sanders said.

Sanders Likens Iran to Vietnam and Iraq

“The war in Vietnam was based on a lie. The war in Iraq was based on a lie. The war in Iran is based on a lie, in my view,” Sanders said at the joint Capitol Hill news conference on Tuesday.

He did not elaborate in that answer on what he considered the lie to be. Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Senate Democrats, has previously made a similar argument in writing, including in a midterm agenda that also called the “current war in Iran” based on a lie.

He Also Flags U.S. Military Aid to Israel

In the same answer, Sanders said U.S. military aid to Israel is “certainly a very sensitive subject among tens of millions of people.” “These are issues that have got to be debated and discussed,” he said, as Washington and Israel have sought a deal to halve direct military aid after 2028.

Later in the briefing, he again listed “endless wars” among the questions he wants the Democratic caucus to debate, alongside health care, taxes on billionaires and artificial intelligence, themes he pushed in an agenda published last week.

Sanders Will Not Back Schumer as Leader

The news conference was convened mainly to discuss Senate Democratic leadership. Sanders said he would not support Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York for re-election as Democratic leader, despite a friendship of more than 30 years. “In my view, the time is now for change, and I will not be supporting Chuck to be reelected as the Democratic leader,” he said.

Slotkin, a Michigan Democrat, said she is “not actively seeking this job” but is “seeking change,” and that she would be “a no until and unless” a candidate offered a “concrete plan that’s definitively different.” She suggested colleagues withhold a quorum if only one candidate emerged without such a plan. Sanders said Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland had indicated some interest in running.

The comments come after Indivisible and other progressive groups urged Senate Democrats to replace Schumer. Sanders called for a vigorous, even televised, debate over the party’s direction and said he did not believe Schumer had been leading toward “an economy that works for all, not just the people on top.”