Today marks the spring equinox, a day where over 300 million people around West and Central Asia, to the Caucauses and the Balkans, celebrate Nowruz, a celebration for a new year and a ‘new day’.  For the Iranian people, this day is marked with grief and uncertainty about their future. 

Three weeks ago, the Trump Administration launched the U.S. into an illegal and unprovoked war of aggression against the State of Iran, which is inhabited by over 90 million Iranians.  

Within the very first hour of its attack, the U.S. dropped a bomb on an all girls elementary school, killing 168 children between the ages of 7 and 12 in the early hours of their school day.  To date, 1,444 Iranians have been killed and over 18,500 injured. Up to 13.2 million Iranians have been internally displaced.  In addition to the human toll, over 42,00 civilian structures have been destroyed or damaged, including multiple UNESCO World Heritage sites. 

The Trump administration blatantly lies to the American and Iranian people that this war is to bring about ‘regime change’. In fact, this brutal act of imperialist war is a continuation of a long-time assault on the Iranian people and to their national sovereignty. By imposing brutal sanctions, and empowering a class of domestic sanctions profiteers. By destroying their economy. And now, by waging a war of aggression to bring about the collapse of their country. The U.S. continues to harm the Iranian people, especially its working class.  

The American People cannot be duped into another war that so far has killed thirteen American service members, cost American taxpayers over $11 billion in just the first six days, and is heading toward the deployment and possible draft of American youth and working class.  

From Venezuela and Cuba to Palestine, Iraq and now Iran, the United States, and in partnership with Israel, continues to operate as an unchecked war machine, causing wide-spread death and destruction under the guise of democratic liberation.  The U.S. and Israel have manipulated the Iranian people’s legitimate desire to resist their oppressors domestically, in order to wage war, create chaos and to consolidate U.S. and Israel’s power. As the war rages in Iran, Israel has shut all borders with the Gaza Strip, cutting off food and fuel supplies and has displaced over 800,000 people in Lebanon (roughly 14-15% of the total population) as it destroys the country to occupy and achieve its growing expansionist agenda. 

DSA-VC stands in solidarity with the Iranian people – who have the right to liberation, self-determination and self-defense of their – and condemns the U.S. and Israel attacks on the Iranian people in violation of their popular sovereignty.  

We call on the American People to: 

• Organize and participate in mass mobilizations on the attacks on Iran.  Join the upcoming No Kings rally on March 28 to send a clear message to Trump: that we demand an immediate end to this illegal war AND to divert the billions he’s wasting on death and destruction, to providing universal healthcare, improving access to education, ending homelessness and housing instability, and to focus on bettering the lives of working class people.  
• Continue pressuring their representatives to enact the War Powers Resolution, immediately cease all hostilities toward Iran, and to stop supporting the State of Israel with billions of dollars in military aid using American taxpayers money.  
• Join DSA-Ventura County as we continue to demand that the US and its leaders prioritize universal health care, education for all, and living wages for the working class, above endless wars. 
• Share this statement with your family, friends and neighbors to keep them informed and engaged.