July 04, 2019 "Information Clearing House" - “We were cocked & loaded to retaliate last night,” Donald Trump tweeted about Iran on June 21, showing us just how close we are to yet another war.

In light of the shooting down of a U.S spy drone, the tanker incidents just a few days prior, and a trajectory of other escalatory moves, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Advisor John Bolton aren’t waging a maximum pressure campaign to change the behavior of their enemy, but are paving a path toward war.

Regardless of the clear facts about the incidents, one thing is clear — military escalation must not be the response.

The consequences would be disastrous in terms of casualties on all sides, further destabilization of the Middle East, the increased risk of nuclear proliferation and war, and the waste of trillions of dollars. Now more than ever, diplomatic efforts need to be pursued at all costs.

In addition to the tangible checklist for preventing war, I suggest that it is overdue to change the narrative around Iran and its people.

First, however, the context in which these events are occurring needs to be understood.