Peace activists, including representatives of the organization CodePink, gathered Saturday in front of the White House to protest the U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran, less than 24 hours after the offensive was launched. The demonstration in the nation's capital was mirrored in more than 60 cities across the country, as Americans mobilized to reject what many described as a reckless new military adventure in the Middle East.
"We must stop the destructive madness of the American empire," CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin wrote on the social platform X, alongside a video denouncing what she characterized as crimes against humanity committed by the United States and Israel. Particular outrage was directed at reports that a school was struck during the first day of the offensive, killing more than 60 girls.
Benjamin, also a writer and journalist, characterized the strikes as both reckless and unconstitutional, arguing that President Trump launched the attack in the midst of active diplomatic negotiations, at a cost of civilian lives and at the risk of drawing the broader region into an expanded war. She underscored that it is Congress —not the president— that holds constitutional authority to authorize a war, and called on the public to urge their representatives to vote in favor of the War Powers Resolution. "The American people do not want a trillion dollars spent in the Middle East while families here struggle to access healthcare and housing," she stated.
In Los Angeles, actress and longtime activist Jane Fonda joined hundreds of demonstrators at a rally in the heart of the city. Brian Becker, national coordinator of the ANSWER Coalition, addressed the crowd there, stating that "it is clear that the American people do not want another war in the Middle East."
Saturday's strikes impacted multiple Iranian provinces, including the capital Tehran, where significant damage to civilian and administrative infrastructure was reported. President Trump himself acknowledged that reconstruction would take considerable time. The large-scale coordinated offensive targeted strategic military and administrative installations across the Islamic Republic. Iranian authorities described the action as a flagrant violation of national sovereignty and international law, responding with retaliatory fire against Israel and major U.S. military bases located in Gulf states.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio was forced to cancel a planned trip to Israel scheduled for the following week. "Due to current circumstances, Secretary Rubio will no longer travel to Israel on March 2," said Dylan Johnson, Under Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs, in a post on X.
Iran confirmed the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as a result of the strikes. The government in Tehran subsequently declared 40 days of national mourning and a seven-day closure of government offices.
This marks the second U.S. military strike against Iran in less than a year. In June 2025, President Trump ordered attacks on three facilities linked to Iran's nuclear program, boasting at the time that he knew Khamenei's location but would not order an operation to kill him. (CubaSí)