At a moment of dangerous escalation, Liberation Road and Rising Majority convened a call to grapple with the U.S. and Israeli regimes’ war on Iran and what it demands of our movements. Our panel featured:
Bill Fletcher (moderator), Standing for Democracy
Puya Gerami, Iranian-Americans for Peace and Democracy
Samer Araabi, Arab Resource & Organizing Center
Sara Haghdoosti, MoveOn
Eran Efrati, Jewish Voice for Peace
The discussion situated the war on Iran within a broader regional and global “polycrisis.” While the immediate focus was on stopping the current escalation, participants pointed to the wider dynamics shaping it—from the genocide in Gaza and Israel’s expansion of regional war, to Iran’s own regional ambitions, to the broader trajectory of U.S. intervention, sanctions, and military dominance.
Across the call, there was strong unity on several core points. Panelists emphasized the urgent need to stop the war immediately, while standing in solidarity with the Iranian people’s long-standing struggle for democratic, social, and economic rights. Many rejected the false choice between opposing U.S. and Israeli military aggression and acknowledging the Iranian regime’s repression—insisting that a principled anti-war position must do both.
At the same time, the call did not paper over real disagreements. Participants differed in how to balance opposition to U.S. imperialism with criticism of the Iranian regime, particularly around questions of emphasis and positionality. These differences were engaged directly, in a spirit of principled struggle, rooted in a shared commitment to do everything we can to stop this war.
Strategically, the call pointed toward the need to build a broad anti-war front capable of exerting real pressure—through mass mobilization, efforts to cut off war funding, and longer-term struggles to contest for political power. Participants also emphasized the need to link opposition to war abroad with the fight against authoritarianism, racism, and repression in the United States.
Despite the enormity of the crisis, the call underscored that this is also a moment of possibility. The war is deeply unpopular and has exposed fractures within the ruling bloc. Our challenge—and opportunity—is to turn that opening into sustained, strategic organizing to stop the war and strengthen an internationalist movement capable of confronting empire and authoritarianism in all its forms.
Watch the full recording to hear the discussion and join the conversation about how we organize to meet this moment.
