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On February 28, the U.S. and Israel launched waves of attacks against Iran. In one of these attacks, the the U.S. and Israel assassinated Ali Hosseini Khamenei, the Ayatollah or Supreme Leader and former President of Iran. They also assassinated other government officials and targeted a school in southern Iran, killing upwards of 180 elementary school children. This is a disgusting and reproachable act of unprovoked aggression and must be opposed by the people of the United States.
As a veteran anti-war organization, About Face joins other organizations like ANSWER Indiana to demand an immediate end to the war of aggression waged on Iran by the US. and its allies. Here are three key facts every service member and every citizen should know about the current war campaign against Iran:
1) This conflict is a blatant act of U.S Imperialism
The U.S. and Israel’s bombing campaign was not only unprovoked but took place just two days after the third round of peace negotiations in Geneva coordinated by Oman. The claim circulating through the U.S. mainstream press that the war has anything to do with Iran’s alleged pursuit of nuclear weapons is false. It is a false pretext to war, just like Iraq’s alleged “Weapons of Mass Destruction and Nayirah testimony were used to justify the first and second U.S. wars against Iraq, and just like claims of an impending massacre in Benghazi were used to justify the U.S. war against Libya (to name just a few).
Trump and Netanyahu have openly stated their goal in Iran is “regime change.” In other words, they want to replace the independent and sovereign government of Iran with one of their own choosing. This war does not protect any in the U.S. (they actually increase the likelihood of a large-scale conflict) and they certainly do not protect any Iranians.
2) This conflict harms Iranians and Americans
As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stated in his speech at the April 1967 mass march against the Vietnam war: “The bombs in Vietnam explode at home, they destroy the hopes and possibilities for a decent America.” As the government spends hundreds of millions of our dollars daily in this war, at least 140 million people in the U.S. are living at or below the poverty level. Instead of using our money to benefit humanity, the ruling class uses it to reign terror on our fellow workers in other countries. Meanwhile, the “the imperialist boomerang” has definitively returned to our shores, as the U.S. deploys ICE goon squads trained by the Israeli army. We should struggle for communities abroad as if they are our own—because they are. We have more in common with the people of Iran than we do with the politicians and generals issuing orders to kill and be killed.
3) U.S service members: You have the right to refuse orders!
The illegal, unjust, and immoral character of this war means that service members have the right to refuse any offensive operations against Iran and its allies. We can and should use this right. Historically, our resistance has played a pivotal role in not only hampering but ending imperialist wars. By law, U.S service members hold the right to refuse illegal orders and should not face any repercussions for exercising this right, and if you do, we have your back.
Veterans, as they always have been, are on the forefront of the anti-war movement. As a group, we have directly participated in and witnessed the harm and implications that U.S. imperialism brings to the world. Join your local anti-war movement and help stop the destruction caused by the U.S. All acts of war must cease immediately.
Service members say: No U.S. war on Iran!
If you’re interested in learning more about the struggle in Indiana, email organizer@answerindiana.org, visit their website to stand on the right side of history, and join About Face: Veterans Against the War!
About the author
Lucas Lee is a former member of the U.S. Marine Corps and a current organizer with ANSWER Indiana and About Face.
Featured image: A local media outlet interviews the author at the March 2 demonstration against the war. Credit: Indianapolis Liberation Center.