STOP THE WAR @ HOME & ABROAD
Israel launched a massive wave of airstrikes against Iran on June 12. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared the operation would continue for days.
The attacks have targeted nuclear facilities and military infrastructure. Iran has been developing nuclear power capabilities for electricity generation, medical isotopes, and research. Nuclear power will provide Iran with energy independence and boost its economic development.
Key developments
- Explosions in Tehran: Smoke billowed over the city after strikes hit multiple targets, including high-rise housing complexes.
- IRGC chief killed: Iranian state media confirmed the assassination of IRGC Chief-of-Staff Hossein Salami in an Israeli strike. Dozens of casualties were reported.
- U.S.-Israel coordination: The attack followed a reported discussion of the strike plans between Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this week, according to The Wall Street Journal. Trump said that Israel has lethal military equipment manufactured by the U.S. and that “they know how to use it.”
Background
The U.S. and Israel have long prepared for such an attack, which could ignite a regional war. Over the past 18 months, the United States has bolstered its presence in West Asia with additional troops, warships, and missile defense systems.
The New York Times reported on April 16 that Israel, working closely with the Pentagon, had developed a plan to attack Iran. The plans required U.S. help “not just to defend Israel from Iranian retaliation, but also to ensure that an Israeli attack was successful, making the United States a central part of the attack itself.”
The Times reported that Gen. Michael E. Kurilla discussed how the United States would support an Israeli attack. General Kurilla, with the blessing of the White House, began moving military equipment to West Asia. A second aircraft carrier, Carl Vinson, is now in the Arabian Sea, joining the carrier Harry S. Truman in the Red Sea. The United States also moved two Patriot missile batteries and a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, known as a THAAD, to West Asia. Around a half-dozen B-2 bombers capable of carrying 30,000-pound bombs essential to destroying Iran’s underground nuclear program were dispatched to Diego Garcia, an island base in the Indian Ocean.
The Times report says that U.S. officials said privately that the weaponry was part of the planning for supporting Israel in a conflict with Iran. “Even if the United States decided not to authorize the aircraft to take part in a strike on Iran, Israel would know that the American fighters were available to defend against attacks by an Iranian ally. There were signs that Mr. Trump was open to U.S. support for Israeli military action against Iran.”
Broader context
The Israeli government’s claim that these attacks are acts of “self-defense” is a transparent lie. The real aim is to destroy any force in the region capable of resisting U.S. and Israeli domination, to secure the profits of the oil monopolies and arms manufacturers, and to crush the aspirations of the Palestinian, Iranian, and Arab masses for economic development, self-determination and social justice.
The attack comes as the U.S. continues to impose brutal economic sanctions on Iran, following Trump’s 2018 abandonment of the Iran nuclear deal. These sanctions are themselves acts of war, designed to starve the Iranian people into submission and pave the way for military intervention.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has deployed thousands of combat troops domestically and is preparing a massive military parade in Washington, a clear signal of its willingness to use force both abroad and against the working class in this country.
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