OMNI
ISRAEL AND IRAN ANTHOLOGY #2
6-20-25
Compiled by Dick Bennett for a Culture of Peace, Justice, and
Ecology
What’s at Stake: The UN CHARTER FORBIDS NATIONAL AGGRESSIONS.
JUST TO SAY 'VIOLATES INTERNATIONAL
LAW' IS MEANINGLESS
AND SAYS NOTHING TO EDUCATE OR WIN
SUPPORT.
A BILL OF PARTICULARS IS NEEDED: THE
HOW AND THE WHY
OF THE VIOLATION:
THE UNITED STATES HELPED IMPORTANTLY IN
DRAFTING THE U N CHARTER.
THE UNITED STATES SENATE RATIFIED IT BY AN
OVERWHELMING MAJORITY.
IN CHAPTER 1. ARTICLE 2, #4, THE
U N CHARTER FORBIDS, EXCEPT AS AND WHEN AUTHORIZED BY THE SECURITY COUNCIL,THE USE OF FORCE AGAINST ANOTHER
STATE, EXCEPT IN CASE OF DEFENSE AGAINST ARMED ASSAULT.
CONTENTS
SEYMOUR
HERSH WARNS WAR IMMINENT
JVP. “No war with Iran.”
Sue. “Congress
Must Invoke War Powers Act to Prevent U.S. War With Iran.”
Win
Without War. “No
War in Iran.”
Sandra Tamari. “Briefing on Iran and the
movement for Palestine.”
HDC. “Trump moves to drag US into war
with Iran”
Trita
Parsi. “Trump moves to drag US into war
with Iran.”
M.K. Bhadrakumar. “Israel’s War on Iran
Has No Future.”
CODE
PINK. US Imperial/Media Complex
INSIDE IRAN: The
Real History and Politics of the Islamic Republic of Iran by Medea Benjamin.
PUT
J AT END
“War
Is The Worst Thing In The World” BY Caitlin Johnstone.
TEXTS
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JVP. “No war with Iran.” The Wire (6-18-25). |
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Tell Congress: No
war with Iran. |
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Support the JVP
Action Wire.
With
nearly 100,000 subscribers, the Wire is one of the largest American
publications dedicated to justice. Every week, we cover important news from
Palestine, the United States, and the Palestine solidarity movement — and
provide ways to take action. |
“ACT
NOW: Congress Must Invoke War Powers Act to Prevent U.S. War With Iran” by Sue
at Defending Rights & Dissent <Updates@rightsanddissent.org>
Dick,
As
Trump weighs joining Israel’s war with Iran, Congress must tell him NO!
This
morning, President Trump said he "may" order a military strike on
Iran, or he "may not do it....nobody knows." This is deeply
undemocratic. Only Congress, after a full hearing, debate, and vote, can
authorize taking us to war.
Yesterday, Reps. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Thomas Massie (R-KY) introduced a bipartisan resolution in the House to invoke the War Powers Act and prevent President Trump from taking U.S. military action against Iran without Congressional approval. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) introduced a similar resolution in the Senate. As War Powers Resolutions are privileged, they will be brought to the floor for a vote. Urge your representatives to support this legislation today, before Trump starts another unconstitutional war. . . .
Write
to your congressmembers today, and urge them to support this important
legislation. Unilateral action on Iran would be unconstitutional,
immoral, and dangerous—senselessly risking dragging the U.S. into another
prolonged military conflict in the region with no end in sight.
Take
action now: Urge your Senators and Representatives to sign on to these bills at
once!
Sue, Chip, and Nathan
Support
“No War in Iran.” Endless
War Alert @ Win Without War <info@winwithoutwar.org> 6-18-35
Dick: Military strikes between the Israeli and Iranian
governments have pushed an entire region to the precipice of a devastating war.
Hundreds of people have already died. Now, families across the world sit
terrified, unsure if they or their loved ones will be in harm's way.
This violent reality is abhorrent to people who believe in
peace and justice like us, but that’s not the only reason we’re worried. Troubling
reports indicate the Israeli government is urging the United States to enter
the war and attack sites in Iran directly[1] — and if the U.S. government is
dragged in deeper, things could all get even worse.
Israeli PM Netanyahu doesn’t get to decide when the United
States goes to war. But Trump appears to be letting Netanyahu call the shots while
recklessly fanning the flames of this conflict — even though war with Iran is
hugely unpopular across the country, including with his base.
But, Dick, you have a key role to play in correcting the
course. Today, as loud and influential hawks in the media and across DC
champion these attacks and urge the U.S. government to intervene directly, we
need to do what we do best: Turn up the pressure to stop a war.
It is time to remind the president his powers have limits.
Your voice is critical, and our outreach has to start immediately. This
weekend, Five million people spoke out to say “No Kings.” Now, let’s join
together to say: No war in Iran.
|
Thank you for working for peace, |
TONIGHT:
“Briefing on Iran and the movement for Palestine.” Sandra Tamari <info@adalahjusticeproject.org> View this email in your
browser
Hi Dick,
No War on Iran, Stop
Arming Israel
TODAY, Wednesday June 18 at 7 PM ET / 4 PM PT
We’ll be joined by anti-war activists
and expert analysts to break down the latest developments and explore how we
can strengthen our collective demands: stop arming Israel, end the siege on
Gaza, and prevent another catastrophic war in the Middle East.
RSVP to hear from Alex Shams, an Iranian-American journalist and
Brittany DeBarros, Organizing Director of About Face: Veterans Against the War
about the urgency of making our voices heard now.
Don’t miss this urgent conversation and this moment to act.
In Solidarity, Sandra
Tamari, Executive Director Adalah
Justice Project
“Trump moves to drag US into war with Iran” Team HDC. 6-18-25
Dick,
Donald Trump doesn’t need
a briefing or a vote to start a war. All he needs is a grudge, a camera, and a
moment of distraction. That’s what we saw on June 13th when Israel launched
targeted strikes against Iranian officials, and Trump responded not with
caution or diplomacy, but with cheerleading and blame.
Not even a pretense of
Congressional authorization. No consultation. No debate. Just Trump, jumping at
the chance to play wartime president again, this time from the sidelines of a
foreign conflict, using American military might like it’s his personal toy set.
Senator Bernie Sanders
pulled no punches:
"Netanyahu’s reckless
and illegal attacks violate international law and risk igniting a regional war.
Congress must make it clear that the United States will not be dragged into
Netanyahu’s war of choice."
Let’s be clear: This is
not about defense. It’s about domination. And it’s about Trump using our
military to settle his political debts and feed his insatiable ego.
Trump has already
bulldozed through the legal guardrails that are supposed to keep this country
out of unauthorized wars. Sending military assets into a conflict zone without
Congressional approval is a flagrant violation of the Constitution.
Senator Ed Markey was
direct. . . .
Senator Elizabeth Warren .
. . .
Demand immediate
Congressional action to block unauthorized war in Iran by signing and sending
your message now.
-
HollywoodDemocrats.com Team SUPPORT THIS CAMPAIGN
[fpm.news]
“Trump’s demand for Iran's surrender will only guarantee war.” Trita Parsi.
PAUL LARUDEE fpm.news@lists.riseup.net via uark.onmicrosoft.com
. . .
Trump is threatening to attack Iran if it does not surrender first. My thoughts
on the subject are in Trita Parsi's words below. Like many others, I thought
that enough sane professionals remained in our military and intelligence
services to prevent the global catastrophe that will ensue if Trump puts the
entire US armed forces at the disposal of Bibi Netanyahu. That has not happened
yet, but it now seems more likely than not.
I hope
I am wrong, but Iran is not. It is run by a very principled government that
understands the futility of appeasement and the necessity of self-defense. Will
the US finally accept that this war is Israel’s doing, and that Israel alone
must suffer the consequences? If so, this is quite possibly the beginning of
the end for the Zionist experiment. If so, good riddance. The world will be so
much better without it. If not, it may be the beginning of the end for all of
us. Perhaps I will know where we are headed before I and my family return to
the US in less than 48 hours.
Trump’s demand for Iran's surrender
will only guarantee war
|
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“Israel’s War on Iran
Has No Future.” Consortium News
(6-18-25).
M.K. Bhadrakumar predicts
that Netanyahu, by underestimating the Islamic Republic’s powers of resistance,
will meet the same fate as Saddam Hussein in the Iraq-Iran War. Read here...
Code Pink. US Imperial/Media Complex
We
don’t mean to reduce Israel’s terrorism against Iran to a media literacy
challenge, but we’ve seen how has provided cover for Israel’s genocide campaign
in Gaza. The two of us were babies when the NYT did the same thing
with Afghanistan and Iraq. We all know what happened next: a war on terror that
killed over 4 million people in the Middle East, made possible by the very same
media outlets lying to you now, pushing you to hate Iran and support more insane
violence. Here’s what Palestinian journalists think about the
mainstream coverage of the attacks on Iranians:
Every
time the U.S. seeks to justify attacking Iran, the narrative conveniently
shifts to Iran being "inches away" from nuclear weapons. Yet not a
word is said about the U.S. or Israel’s massive nuclear arsenal. Twenty
years ago, they claimed Saddam had "weapons of mass destruction"; of
course, the U.S. had nukes then, too. What is a nuclear bomb if not a
"weapon of mass destruction"? The hypocrisy is staggering.
Surely,
after decades of U.S.-Israeli propaganda, we know better, don’t we? Now we
have the internet and 20 months of horrific crimes against humanity in Gaza to
snap us back into reality every time the Western mainstream media tries to sell
another lie. This time, not only will we refuse to believe them, we’ll challenge
their propaganda by showing solidarity with the people of Iran, who are
being terrorized by U.S.-backed Israel. That is our responsibility.
If
you need to be convinced even further that the media is trying to manipulate
us, think about this: in 2022, when Russia
invaded Ukraine, the common message was that it was an unprovoked and criminal
attack. The media poured out support for Ukraine, an American
ally, and then the US sent billions of dollars in weapons to fight that
war. However, when Israel attacks Iran, a sovereign country with a
government that refuses to submit to Western hegemony — the attacks are
suddenly “strategic” and “preemptive.” Suddenly, the media
has a million justifications for why it’s acceptable to attack another
country.
The
reality of the situation is that war never solves any
problems. If they truly believe that Iran has nukes, perhaps it
would be best not to bomb nuclear sites and risk a catastrophic nuclear
fallout. If they were really afraid of Iran using nukes, they would support
global denuclearization. Instead of using common sense, they are working
overtime to convince us all that Iranian civilians deserve to die because the
Iranian government refuses to submit to Western hegemony. We can’t
and we won’t fall for it. The NYT has blood on
its hands so long as it continues reports on Iran in this way.
Stand with us against propaganda.
This
moment demands our vigilance. We cannot allow history to repeat itself, driven
by media narratives that pave the way for further bloodshed. By
challenging this dangerous propaganda, we defend not only Iranian lives but
also the very fabric of truth and justice. Let's
act to expose the lies and demand a world where all lives are valued equally.
Educational Links
Watch: WAR ON
IRAN: Dispatches LIVE w/ Elijah Magnier on Israel’s Massive Bombing Campaign
Essential
reading: Israel’s Strikes on Iran Spark Growing Dissent in Congress by Medea
Benjamin
Other ways to engage:
Tell your Senators to Stop the Escalation on Iran
Click here to dive deeper into Iran!
Act Now Tell Maersk: Stop F-35 Shipments to Israel!
Stream Now – Gaza: Journalist Under Fire
Dive deeper by joining our summer school: Feminists Resisting Fascism.
Check out our recent episode on what accountability means…
especially for War Criminals.
· Order our new "I Love Palestinian Liberation" Tee!
Until Liberation,
Danaka, Nour and the entire CODEPINK team
PS: We just restocked our pink keffiyehs from
Palestine! Get yours
now!
INSIDE IRAN: The Real History and Politics of the Islamic Republic of Iran by Medea Benjamin.
Benjamin recounts Iran’s history from the pre-colonial period, through the CIA-engineered coup that overthrew the country’s democratic leadership in 1953, to its emergence as the one nation Democrats and Republicans alike regularly unite in denouncing. Drawing upon firsthand experiences with Iranian politicians, activists, and everyday citizens, Benjamin provides a deeper understanding of the complexities of Iranian society and the nation’s role in the region.
“War Is
The Worst Thing In The World” BY Caitlin Johnstone. JunE 20, 2025.
Listen to a reading of this
article (reading by Tim Foley):
War
is the worst thing in the world. It is the single craziest behavior exhibited
by humans. The most destructive. The most traumatizing. The least sustainable.
The least conducive to human thriving.
All
the things we fear most become the norm in a land ravaged by war. Death. Pain.
Suffering. Rape. Chaos. Uncertainty. Losing loved ones. Losing homes. Losing
limbs. Living in terror. Being attacked. Being brain damaged. Being faced with
impossible choices. All the things we frighten ourselves with by watching
horror movies become a reality from which there is no escape.
War
creates a waking nightmare which any sensible person would want to avoid except
in the direst necessity. And yet we are ruled by people who actively seek it
out. Who will lie and manipulate to make wars happen. Who will smear and
slander anyone who resists in the name of peace. Who will actively fight
against every healthy impulse in everybody in their society to push their war
agenda forward.
They
always tell us the new war they want us to fight is about self-defense, or
about liberating an oppressed population from a tyrannical dictatorship, or
about preventing terrorism, or about spreading freedom and democracy. Usually
they tell us it’s about all of these things.
But
it never is. They are always lying. Always. They are pushing human beings into
the worst circumstances they could possibly experience here on earth for no
other reason than power and profit. To advance the hegemonic agendas of empire
managers and to fill the coffers of war profiteers. That’s all it ever is.
Always, always, always.
They
say whatever they need to say and move whatever chess pieces they need to move
to get their war, and then they send a bunch of poor suckers to go fight in it,
lying to them that they are doing something noble and heroic.
They
ship them off to a foreign land, and then they are trapped. They can’t flee
into the wilderness because they don’t know how to survive and have no way of
getting home. They can’t ask the locals for help because the locals are their
victims. They have no choice but to either fight and kill people who have never
wronged them, or lay down their arms and be caged like animals.
If
they choose to fight, the best case scenario is that they spend the rest of
their lives knowing that they killed other human beings who wanted to live just
as much as themselves, and who had just as much right to. All because some
people who already had far too much power wanted a little bit more.
It’s
about the most insane and backwards thing you could possibly imagine. The most
powerful individuals in our world are people who actively push for the absolute
worst outcomes that could possibly happen. It’s the exact opposite of the way
things should be.
Yet
we are told it’s normal. We are trained to believe this is just the reality we
live in which we should expect and accept, first by our parents and teachers,
and then by our news media and by Hollywood. War is aggressively normalized by
pundits, propagandists and politicians, and enthusiastically glorified in
movies and documentaries.
Those
who were forced or duped into fighting in these insane arrangements of
mass-scale violence are framed as heroes, and anyone who disagrees with what
they were sent to do is framed as disrespectful and ungrateful. Those who push
for peace are framed as treasonous freaks who must surely have covert loyalties
toward whatever government the empire is trying to target this time around.
Those who suggest that there might be some solution apart from war are
dismissed as infantile dreamers.
And
once the war has started, it is almost impossible to stop. The entire
political/media class treats the war as the new normal, and any suggestion that
it’s time to wrap things up is regarded as outlandish and suspicious. It’s
never time to end the war, because this or that objective has not yet been
achieved, or because this or that faction might come into power if troops are
pulled out, or because this or that disempowered group might suffer without our
military there to protect them.
Ending
a war is as difficult as beginning a war is easy. All the institutions which
lined up perfectly to help get the ball rolling toward war suddenly transform
into giant tar pits of inertia when it comes to ending the conflict. The
warmakers say the war must continue for this or that reason, the politicians
back the warmakers, the media back the politicians, and the person saying it’s
time to end the madness is left standing there looking like they’re the crazy
ones.
But
they’re not the crazy ones. The ones pushing us toward war are crazy. This
whole system is crazy. This whole civilization.
The
ones resisting the push toward war are the ones fighting for sanity. They’re
the ones who are trying to reverse the tide of madness and drag us into a
healthy world.
If
this is you, do not falter. Do not let the warmongers shout you down or shut
you up. You are right, and they are wrong. Let your voice thunder with
confidence. Let nothing cause you to waver.
Blessed
are the peacemakers. Don’t let anyone trick you into doubting what you know to
be true.
_______________
Caitlin’s Newsletter is a reader-supported
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Israel and Iran Anthology #1 https://jamesrichardbennett.blogspot.com/2025/06/omni-israel-and-iran-anthology-1-june.html
Israel: OMNI
ISRAEL-PALESTINE ANTHOLOGIES #18, 9-18-24
https://jamesrichardbennett.blogspot.com/2024/09/omni-israel-palestine-anthologies-18-9.html
Gaza: OMNI GAZA ANTHOLOGIES #17, July 30, 2024. https://jamesrichardbennett.blogspot.com/2024/07/omni-gaza-anthologies-17-july-30-2024.html
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