Sen. Bernie Sanders Bernie SandersMcConnell accuses Democrats of sowing division by 'downplaying progress' on election security The Hill's Campaign Report: Arizona shifts towards Biden | Biden prepares for drive-in town hall | New Biden ad targets Latino voters Why Democrats must confront extreme left wing incitement to violence MORE (I-Vt.) said he fears President Trump Donald John TrumpHR McMaster says president's policy to withdraw troops from Afghanistan is 'unwise' Cast of 'Parks and Rec' reunite for virtual town hall to address Wisconsin voters Biden says Trump should step down over coronavirus response MORE could “drag” the U.S. into a war with Iran that would be worse than the Iraq War.

“What we have to face as a nation is that the two great foreign policy disasters of our lifetimes were the war in Vietnam and the war in Iraq. Both of those wars were based on lies,” Sanders said at Tuesday night’s Democratic presidential primary debate.

“And right now, what I fear very much is we have a president who is lying again and could drag us into a war that is even worse than the war in Iraq,” he added.

Sanders says he is worried that Trump is lying and could drag us into a war with Iran. #DemDebate pic.twitter.com/X2mq1KVvqS — PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) January 15, 2020

Sanders, who has risen to near the top of polls of the Democratic field in early voting states, has made his past opposition to the Iraq War a centerpiece of his foreign policy, highlighting his vote against the conflict as evidence that he has the proper judgement to serve as commander in chief.

Tensions between the U.S. and Iran have skyrocketed in recent weeks after President Trump authorized a strike that killed Tehran’s most powerful general, Qassem Soleimani. Iran responded by launching missiles at Iraqi military bases that house U.S. troops, though no service members were killed, and both sides signaled they would seek to ease tensions following the strike.

Trump has repeatedly touted the drone strike that killed Soleimani, claiming the general was directing attacks against multiple U.S. embassies. Several Democrats, however, including 2020 candidates, have expressed skepticism that the general posed an imminent threat to U.S. interests.