National deputy Eduardo Valdés (UxP) introduced a bill to keep Argentina “on the sidelines” of any international armed conflict amid the escalation between the United States, Israel, and Iran. According to the Argentine News Agency, the deputy's initiative also seeks to obtain the approval of the National Congress so that the country does not carry out troop movements or assume military commitments. Argentina broke off all diplomatic relations with Iran, demonstrating its geopolitical alignment with the United States and Israel, after declaring a top Iranian diplomat persona non grata and expelling the country's highest diplomatic representative, Chargé d'Affaires Mohsen Soltani Tehrani. The government's measure was taken last Thursday, after the Iranian embassy in Uruguay issued a text with harsh criticism against the Casa Rosada over the designation of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained that the expulsion was in response to expressions that contain “false, offensive and improper accusations against the Argentine Republic and its highest authorities”. The project According to the initiative introduced in the Chamber of Deputies, the government's position “is in open contradiction with the principles of peace, non-intervention, and peaceful settlement of disputes that have historically guided Argentine foreign policy”. Valdés emphasized that the country has “historically been characterized as a defender of multilateralism and international law”, and warned that this type of public statement “ceases to be merely rhetorical when it begins to translate into possible concrete actions”. The project also reaffirms the role of Congress in these decisions, in reference to what is established in article 75, sections 25 and 28 of the National Constitution. “It exclusively corresponds to the Congress to authorize the Executive Power to declare war, make peace, or dispose of the departure of national forces outside the territory”, said the Peronist deputy for CABA. In addition, Valdés criticized the position of the ruling party and expressed his “energetic rejection and concern” about the course the central administration has adopted in foreign policy. “The national interest and the security of the population cannot be compromised without due respect for the prevailing constitutional order”, he warned. The Congress cannot remain silent in the face of statements that compromise peace and Argentina's diplomatic tradition. Our country must maintain a clear position in favor of dialogue, international cooperation, and the peaceful resolution of conflicts, the legislator concluded.
