Since the attack on Iran by the United States and Israel in late February, there have been widespread protests and condemnation from organizations nationwide. One of them is Veterans for Peace, which stated on March 1, condemning the “dangerous and illegal war … in the strongest possible terms.” The nonprofit organization called on families and allies to resist the war and instead support servicemembers who refuse “illegal orders and resist an illegal war.” The organization maintains that the war is based on lies from the Donald Trump administration, as Iran posed no threat to the U.S.
“This military operation is not a defensive war, but rather a war of choice by Israel and the U.S., a war of aggression, a war for regime change – very much like the disastrous U.S. wars that killed millions of people in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan – wars that many veterans remember with horror and regret,” the statement said.
“Contrary to President Trump’s oft-repeated lie, Iran has repeatedly stated that it has no intention of acquiring nuclear weapons. Rather, the United States, the only country to attack another nation with nuclear weapons, has unilaterally abrogated multiple arms control treaties and is investing $2 trillion in a new generation of nuclear weapons. It was the U.S., not Iran, that violated and withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal.
“The aggression against Iran follows by less than two months the U.S. attack on Venezuela and the unlawful abduction of its president and wife. It comes amid the ongoing war threats and oil blockade of Cuba. This complete disregard and abuse of the process of negotiations only encourages nuclear proliferation around the world.”
The nonprofit argues that the attack is not only in violation of the United Nations charter but also of the U.S. Constitution, as only Congress, not the president, can declare war.
Veteran Says Families Are Torn Apart
Fernando Islas, a member of the LA chapter for Veterans for Peace, served in the Marines from 2006 to 2010 and was deployed to Fallujah, Iraq. He joined the nonprofit in November 2023 after seeing the violence being inflicted upon Gaza and all the innocent people being killed, adding that Israel has “conducted a genocide on the Palestinians.”
He said that Veterans for Peace does what it can to resist and put an end to the military industrial complex, and specifically called out companies, including Boeing, Raytheon, a defense contractor, and General Dynamics, a producer and developer of advanced military equipment, for profiting from the deaths of innocent people.
Innocent bystanders as well as members of the military lose their lives. So far, there have been 13 servicemembers who’ve been killed in the conflict and another 200 wounded. Islas said that these are people who have died in the “special interests” of those in power.
“I know firsthand the damage that has been caused here domestically,” Islas said. “You have families that get torn apart because they lose brothers, sons and daughters. It’s just an ugly situation overall.
“But I also want to point out that we heard of the U.S. striking a ship full of Iranian sailors. … That’s mass murder,” he continued. “And the school of the Iranian girls [who were killed by a] Hawk missile made here in the U.S. Once again, it’s from the playbook that they’ve been using to terrorize the Arab people of the region [for years].”
Veterans for Peace, he said, is committed day in and day out to organizing and reaching out to politicians to denounce these conflicts that are being perpetuated for the purpose of imperialism and profit.
“These are innocent children, women and men who are being killed for the special interest of the U.S. and Israel,” Islas said. “Everyone has to do what they can to try to stop [the bloodshed]. … We definitely have to do what we can and continue to work toward world peace.”
Veterans for Peace urged Americans to call their representatives to vote yes on the Iran War Powers Resolution, which would remove U.S. armed forces from hostilities within or against Iran unless authorized by Congress. However, on March 18, the resolution was defeated in the Senate for a third time.