Small demonstrations have taken place in multiple cities across the United States over the past few days urging the Trump administration not to join Israel in military action against Iran.
Protests were recorded in San Jose, California, on Tuesday as well as New York City and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Monday, with demonstrators holding up signs such as “hands off Iran.”
Newsweek contacted the U.S. State Department for comment on Wednesday via online inquiry form outside regular office hours.
Why It Matters
On June 13, Israel launched military action against Iran, striking military and nuclear sites across the country. Speaking outside the White House on Wednesday, President Donald Trump refused to rule out the U.S. joining the operation, saying: “Nobody knows what I’m going to do.”
The possibility of American military action has already proved controversial with Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) base, with prominent conservative commentators Tucker Carlson and Steve Bannon, Trump’s White House chief strategist in 2017, speaking out against the prospect.
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What To Know
On Tuesday, a “couple of dozen” protesters gathered outside the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. library in San Jose to demonstrated against U.S. military involvement, according to local network Fox KTVU.
Some waved Iranian flags, while others held up signs reading “Hands Off Iran.” The event was organized by San Jose Peace and Justice.
Monday saw hundreds gather in Milwaukee’s Red Arrow Park for a “hands-off Iran” protest, according to WTMJ Milwaukee, which reported that demonstrators also called for an arms embargo on Israel. The event was organized by the Milwaukee Anti-War Coalition.
Also on Monday, a “Solidarity with Iran” protest was held in New York City, backed by the Bronx Anti-War group.
Footage posted on X, formerly Twitter, by Bronx Anti-War showed demonstrators waving Iranian flags with one sign reading, “A genocidal apartheid state has NO right to exist,” while a second showed an Israel flag on fire with the caption “Karma is a f****** b****.”
According to Bronx Anti-War, slogans chanted at the rally included “Iran, Iran makes us proud! Burn Tel Aviv to the ground,” “U.S. drones in the sky, Iran’s missiles will reply” and “courts and talks won’t set us free, resistance brings victory.”
On June 13, a small demonstration took place outside the United States Mission to the United Nations building in New York City, during which one protester held up an “I stand with Iran” sign.
Also Saturday, thousands of demonstrators marched through central London for an “emergency protest” under the banner “Stop Bombing Iran – Stop Arming Israel,” according to Britain’s Daily Express newspaper.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Wednesday that direct U.S. military support for Israel “would radically destabilize the entire situation,” according to the Interfax news agency.”
Israel says it launched its military operation to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Tehran insists its nuclear program is peaceful.
What People Are Saying
A board member of San Jose Peace and Justice told Fox KTVU that the group was “just calling on local leaders to demand that the federal government allocate more money for social services for the city to use and taking it out of the military budget.”
A Milwaukee protestor named Farouq told WTMJ Milwaukee: “I feel like we are being dragged into what could be a World War III.”
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, on X: “This is an extremist regime that, if given the chance, would wipe Israel off the map and then come for us. They must never get that opportunity. President Trump is about to put a period on that statement.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: “Israel is defending freedom in the Middle East and beyond. We’re doing so against a tyrannical and radical Iranian regime that wants to build atomic bombs to destroy us and wants to build ballistic missiles, including intercontinental ballistic missiles, to be able to threaten anyone and everywhere in the world.”
What Happens Next
It remains to be seen whether Trump will order the U.S. military to join the Israel attack on Iran. If he does, he likely will face some blowback from within his own MAGA movement.
