NWI-DSA stands against war with Iran

On February 28th, 2026 the ongoing armed conflict between Iran, Israel, and the United States escalated into the first full day of open warfare.  Targeted attacks on Iranian leadership, military infrastructure, nuclear-related sites, and missile capabilities were swiftly followed by Iranian retaliatory missile and drone strikes against Israel and U.S. bases across multiple Gulf countries.  These strikes are causing immense human suffering and are threatening to escalate further into a broader regional conflict that will create devastation for the entire Middle East.  The Northwest Indiana Democratic Socialists of America condemn this war in the strongest terms possible.

It is not enough to condemn President Trump’s unilateral use of military force while tacitly endorsing the overthrow of governments and assassination of their leaders, as we’ve seen with many Democrats.  Diplomacy, no matter how difficult, must be pursued if there’s any chance for peace in our lifetime.  The sanctions imposed in Iran by President Obama, devastating though they were, represented a chance to break free from the trajectory of militarism both countries found themselves bound to.  One doesn’t need to endorse the actions or composition of a government, even one regarded as our enemy for decades, to recognize that the turn away from diplomacy actively forecloses the possibility of peace for all parties involved.  The Iranian people deserve peace, dignity, and self determination, and no new regime imposed by the barrel of a gun can instill those values.
The NWI DSA is dedicated to opposing all forms of military aggression, both foreign and domestic.  We will continue to resist via peaceful nonviolent means the invasion of ICE into our communities, the privatization and price gouging of local utilities, the genocide in Gaza, the continued bombings in Venezuela, all of it.  We are students of history, and as such we recognize that these are not isolated crises but a sustained and systemic imposition against the very idea of freedom itself.  If we are to navigate the rapidly changing circumstances of the world then we must recognize that the ideals this nation was founded upon can only persist through the continued effort to maintain them.  We dedicate ourselves fully to this effort, and we look forward to working with those who share those values in the coming months.