cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/7822418
cross-posted from: https://news.abolish.capital/post/31804
The Trump administration and Israel have launched a massive war against Iran that has already brought death, destruction and chaos all across the Middle East. This war of aggression is opening the gates of hell across the entire region, and threatens to escalate even further hour by hour. The people’s answer to this new crime needs to be mass protest in the streets to demand a stop to the war.
The consequences for the Iranian people have already been horrific. For instance, an elementary school for girls in the city of Minab was bombed in an air raid this morning, leading to nearly 100 deaths. The idea that this war is being carried out to bring “democracy” and “human rights” to Iran is a sick joke.
This is another war based on lies. It is ridiculous for Trump to suggest that Iran poses an imminent danger to the United States. Iran has always maintained that it is not seeking a nuclear weapon and was engaged in diplomatic negotiations with the United States right up to the moment of the attack – besides, Trump claims to have already “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program last year.
Trump made it clear himself when he announced the beginning of the attack – this is a war for regime change. The lies about an imminent threat or nuclear weapons is just like George Bush’s “weapons of mass destruction” line: a complete fabrication designed to provide cover for the overthrow of a government that has long been on the Pentagon’s hit list.
This is a war for empire. The U.S. has surrounded Iran with military bases, and has sought to dominate the Middle East for generations – especially the vast oil resources and strategic waterways controlled by Iran. The people of the United States have no stake in expanding the domination of the billionaire class the world over. Working class youth are being sent to kill and die, while executives at oil corporations and weapons manufacturers sit back and enjoy massive profits.
This is part of a hyper-aggressive foreign policy pursued by the administration. In part, it is motivated by Trump’s incredible ego and his desire to bully the entire world into submission and “run” other countries. But there is also a clear and brutal logic behind the war-mongering actions of the administration. The U.S. is attempting to use the superiority of its military machine in increasingly open and frequent acts of aggression to reassert its position as the unchallenged global superpower. Marco Rubio said at a major conference in Germany this month that he hopes to usher in “a new Western century”.
The attack on Iran is illegal under both the U.S. Constitution and international law. Wars of aggression are banned under the UN Charter. And the Constitution does not give the president unilateral power to go to war on a whim. Congress needs to act on its constitutional authority to halt this illegal war of aggression. A War Powers Act resolution, which invokes Congress’ authority under the constitution as the branch of government empowered to declare war, could be an important pressure point. But in any case, the decisive factor will be the people taking to the streets.
The Pentagon’s war machine costs the public approximately $1 trillion every year. This is an outrageous waste of our tax dollars at a time when working families are struggling to make rent, afford groceries or pay to go to the doctor. Rather than spending unimaginable amounts of money causing death and destruction in Iran, this money should be spent on things like healthcare, education, housing and other programs to meet human needs.
The people of this country do not want another endless war that claims the lives of huge numbers of service members, Iranians and others in the region. We reject Trump’s war based on lies. Today, protests are taking place in scores of cities nationwide. These mobilizations will continue, and they will express the sentiment of the majority of people in this country: Stop the war on Iran!
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