Protestors Condemn Direct U.S.-Israeli Military Strikes Against Iran

When your school board votes, Decorah News is there to report. Chip in to keep your voice in the room. DECORAH 一 Demonstrators gathered at the College Drive bridge at 2:00 pm on Sunday to protest the direct military strikes by the United States and Israel against Iran. The strikes, which occurred on Saturday and resulted in the reported deaths of multiple members of senior Iranian leadership, including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have been described by U.S. officials and media outlets as part of a high-level "widening war" against Iran. As of publication, Congress has not officially issued a declaration of war against Iran. The protest was a joint effort led by Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) alongside Decorah Community for Immigrant Rights (DCIR) and 50501 Iowa Coalition. Luther College-based SDS representative Peter Knutson read the following National SDS statement aloud to attendees: "Students for a Democratic Society resolutely condemns and opposes Trump's unprovoked and escalatory strikes on Iran. These strikes were done without congressional approval; they are an unconstitutional overreach of executive power by the Trump administration. To justify their attacks, Israel and Trump have pushed forward with the same tired talking point about Iran being a nuclear threat; this is despite the fact that the United States' own intelligence services have stated that Iran is not close to building a nuclear weapon and the fact that Israel at the same time, possesses an illicit nuclear arsenal and refuses to abide by U.N. resolutions concerning it. It is overwhelmingly clear that these strikes will not lead to peace, as Trump claims, but only serve to expand and escalate the regional conflict. As those within the United States face drastic cuts to social services, our government throws billions away in foreign wars, which will kill thousands of innocent people. The United States openly provides military and political support to Israel's continued genocide in Gaza. The U.S. further shields Israel from the consequences of its military aggression against neighboring states and finishes the job for them when Israel is incapable, as we have seen with the most recent strike. In order to end the genocide and stop regional war, the United States must stop all strikes on Iran and end military aid to Israel." DCIR representative Joshua Ratel-Khan questioned statements by President Donald Trump regarding U.S. strikes in Iran. "Trump has claimed that he wants to do a 'long bombing campaign' and has told the Iranian people that they need to overthrow their government," Ratel-Khan said. "But we know that this bombing campaign is not for the benefit of the Iranian people; it's for U.S. imperial interests." Ratel-Khan drew parallels between the current military actions and the 1953 U.S.- and British-backed coup that overthrew Iran's elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh. Mossadegh was placed under house arrest until his death in 1967, and the Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, was reinstated as part of efforts to maintain Western influence over Iran's oil resources and regional politics. The CIA formally acknowledged its role in the coup in declassified documents released in 2013. "This CIA coup was in response to Iran nationalizing its oil sector and taking back control from foreign interests," Ratel-Khan said. "Seventy years later, the United States and CIA continue to destabilize nations of the world." As of Monday, the conflict had entered its third day. Iranian state media reported approximately 555 civilian deaths, while four U.S. service members were killed. CBS News reported that President Trump has "declined to rule out sending ground troops into the region." President Donald Trump said the strikes were intended to defend the American people by eliminating what his administration described as "imminent threats" from the Iranian regime against the United States and its allies. He also linked the regime's "menaced" activities to past incidents such as the 1979 U.S. Embassy hostage crisis. Your weekly dose of local life! Subscribe to the free newsletter and enjoy news, analysis, and stories you'll actually look forward to reading.