Vancouver protesters rally against U.S. military action in Iran

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — We can not afford another war.

Worried protesters who rallied outside the U.S. Consulate in Vancouver Sunday afternoon say escalating tensions between Iran and the U.S. will only threaten the lives of millions of people, and would have devastating consequences for both sides.

Aiyanas Ormond is with the group International League of People’s Struggle, he says the chain of events since the U.S.’s targeted drone strike that killed Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani has been extremely troubling.

“We’re joining the chorus of voices around the world who are gathering at U.S. Consulates and Embassies to condemn the recent attack and violation of Iraqi sovereignty and war crimes that occurred when Trump bombed that Baghdad airport killing an Iranian general and also a prominent leader of an Iraqi military organization,” he says. “There’s a definite sense that this was a major escalation in terms of tensions in the Middle East that could potentially lead to much more significant conflict. But most importantly, it’s just a very clear violation of international law.”

He and his group are calling on the U.S. to pull all its military out of Iran – and to stop what they call “unwarranted interference” in the Middle East.

“You don’t want to anticipate the worst, but it’s definitely an escalation. But it’s also a continuation of U.S. foreign policy in Western Asia or the Middle East. You know, Iraq has suffered from over three decades of war and sanctions and drone attacks and civil war as a result of the U.S. occupation. Iran has been in the cross-hairs of the U.S. for many years,” he says. “I think what we’re seeing in terms of the reaction in the region is people are just fed up with the U.S. presence and U.S. involvement there.

Ormond says with tensions boiling over and President Trump taking to social media to announce action the U.S. could take, there’s fear about what could come next.

“It is scary because I think in particular with Trump, there’s a sense that this is really driven simply by domestic politics. That Trump promised to end America’s endless wars, but now seems to feel like it’s in his interest to promote one. It’s a scary situation.”