The US Peace Council denounces the reckless escalation of the already dangerously volatile situation in the Middle East precipitated by Israel’s most recent bombing of the Islamic Republic of Iran. We uphold the right of Iran to self-determination and self-defense.

This unprovoked act of war was perpetrated with the complicity of the US and its NATO allies, which have provided weapons and intelligence to Israel along with diplomatic cover for Israel’s violations of international law. Israel’s ability to wage war on its neighbors with little to no consequence exemplifies how a militaristic state, with the backing of a nuclear and military superpower, can compromise another’s sovereignty. Threatening global stability, this escalation heightens the danger of ongoing conflicts erupting into nuclear war.

US President Trump had imperiously given Iran a time-sensitive dictate to surrender to a “nuclear deal,” which entailed abandoning its sovereignty. On June 13, he announced: “Two months ago I gave Iran a 60‑day ultimatum … Today is day 61.” Early in the morning of the 13th, Israel launched its most recent attack on Iran, transparently demonstrating that the Zionist and US imperialist projects are joined at the hip.

Tel Aviv, Washington, and their echoes in the corporate press justify the attack as “preemptive.” In fact, the US director of national intelligence testified that Iran did not possess a nuclear arsenal, did not have an ongoing bomb development program, nor had Iran decided to pursue nuclear weapons. The attack, in other words, was an attempt to strangle the baby in the cradle and not a response to any actual threat.

Israel’s alibi for the illegal attack on Iran gave new meaning to the Yiddish expression chutzpah. Its prime minister accused Iran of “genocidal rhetoric” and trying to develop a defense deterrence ability. This from the only nuclear-armed power in the Middle East, which is currently engaged in a campaign of genocide to ethnically cleanse Palestine of its indigenous people.

In fact, Iran was targeted by Israel, with the full backing of the US, because it supports the resistance in Palestine. The attack, therefore, was more in line with the strategic objective to contain the power of the Iranian state to resist US and Israeli regional hegemony then any actual or potential nuclear threat.

Palestine today is the center of the struggle against imperialism. Israeli leaders have openly stated their intention to drive Palestinians from their own land. They are pursuing this by military violence and preventing food, water, and medicines from reaching the starving people of Gaza.

The world situation is ever more dangerous because, in the US, a bipartisan consensus embraces the Zionist project. The two-party system lacks the guard rails to contain an escalating military confrontation in the Middle East, where Democrats and Republicans compete over who can more sycophantic over Israel. Further compounding this aggressive lurch to war are other US-initiated international flashpoints such as Ukraine and China.

The bombing and economic wars overseas are returning to our shores with the militarization of society, state violence in the streets, and brutality against people of color, immigrants, women, workers, and families. Trump just staged a $100-million military parade in Washington DC, while deploying the National Guard and Marines to quelch protests defending immigrant communities subjected to ICE raids.

Only a people-based movement for peace and against militarism can provide a sane solution. We must call on our government to cut all ties with Israel - diplomatic relations, military and economic aid, and investments. The US must be constrained from further aiding and abetting the Zionist attacks on Iran.

The US Peace Council joins the World Peace Council to:
Stand in solidarity with the resistance of the peoples of Palestine, Iran, Lebanon and Yemen who are all targeted by the imperialists.
Demand the immediate end of the aggression of this new bloodshed, which may escalate into a war of larger dimensions.
Call upon the peace movement to engage actively in protests and rallies to condemn these acts of aggression.