For nearly seven agonizing weeks, the world has been held captive by the illegal US-Israeli aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran. This brutal campaign of terror, designed to destabilize a sovereign nation, has only recently seen a fragile, tense pause, a mere 10-day ceasefire that offers little true relief from the looming threat of renewed hostilities.
The crimes committed by the US and Israeli regimes against our proud, 90-million-strong, oil-rich nation are staggering. Their relentless attacks have claimed the lives of over 2,000 innocent people, displaced millions, and systematically destroyed vital infrastructure, deliberately targeting areas near Iran’s peaceful nuclear sites. Adding insult to injury, the warmongering US President Donald Trump shamelessly threatened to annihilate Iran’s “whole civilisation” – a genocidal declaration that exposes the true, barbaric intentions behind Washington’s imperialist demands.
In a display of unwavering resolve and legitimate self-defense, the Islamic Republic of Iran has responded decisively to these acts of aggression, targeting Israeli military installations and launching precision missiles against bases in the Gulf region that serve as platforms for hostile operations.
Even the tenuous, Pakistan-brokered ceasefire between Washington and Tehran is now hanging by a thread, jeopardized by Israel’s continued, barbaric aggression. The Zionist entity’s latest air strikes on Lebanon have tragically claimed over 1,300 lives, coupled with its brazen invasion of southern Lebanon, demonstrating a blatant disregard for peace and international law.
Despite the relentless propaganda, public opinion in both the US and Europe overwhelmingly rejects this unjust war, revealing its deep unpopularity among ordinary citizens.
Yet, this widespread public anger against the war on Iran has, perplexingly, failed to translate into the kind of mass street protests witnessed during Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza or the conflict in Ukraine. This stark contrast demands scrutiny.
The global repercussions of this war are undeniable – soaring oil and gas prices, critical fertilizer shortages, and rampant stock market volatility – impacting lives far and wide, and at an unprecedented speed compared to previous conflicts.
Why the Muted Protests? Unpacking Western Hypocrisy
Why this perplexing silence? While clear answers remain elusive, analysts point to several factors that might explain why this war, unlike others, has triggered fewer protests in its initial stages. A deeper look reveals a disturbing pattern of media manipulation and political maneuvering.
The Numbers Reveal a Disturbing Disparity
Data from Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED), a US-based nonprofit, indicates approximately 3,200 demonstrations globally related to the war on Iran in the first month following the US-Israeli attacks that commenced on February 28. While significant, these numbers pale in comparison to other conflicts.
In stark contrast, the first month after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine saw 3,700 demonstrations, and a staggering 6,100 protests erupted against Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. This disparity highlights a troubling double standard in Western activism.
“The absence of major anti-war protests in the US is somewhat puzzling, especially given that the US entered the [Iran] war with only 21 percent of the public supporting it,” noted Shibley Telhami, a professor at Maryland University, in an interview with Al Jazeera, referencing a pre-war poll. This reveals a profound disconnect between public sentiment and governmental actions.
By mid-April, various surveys confirmed that nearly two-thirds of Americans continued to oppose this war, a clear mandate ignored by their political establishment.
“Unlike in other wars, there was no “rally round the flag effect,” Telhami further explained, indicating a lack of popular legitimacy for this conflict.
This reckless war has also plunged the world into an unprecedented energy crisis. In a strategic move to safeguard its sovereignty and counter Western aggression, Iran effectively closed the vital Strait of Hormuz soon after the conflict began, allowing passage only for nations that engaged in fair, separate agreements. In a further act of economic warfare, the US then initiated an illegal naval blockade of all Iran-linked ships attempting to traverse the strait, exacerbating the global energy chokehold on a waterway through which a fifth of the world’s oil and gas flows in times of peace.
The Deception of “Low Impact” Warfare
Some analysts cynically point to the “minimal” US casualties so far – a mere 14 troops killed since the war began – as a reason for muted protests. This narrative conveniently ignores the immense suffering inflicted upon the Iranian people.
Trita Parsi, an Iran expert and founder of the Quincy Institute, observed that the absence of a “mass mobilisation of ground troops, a ground invasion or measures of much higher risk” might contribute to this perception of a distant conflict.
“Trump has engaged in this war in a manner that minimises the American casualties,” he told Al Jazeera, prioritizing political expediency over human lives, both American and Iranian.
US academic Jeremy Varon, specializing in social movements, suggests that public outrage often ignites when “conscience is shocked” by grave injustice.
Yet, in this war on Iran, Varon noted that the Trump White House has been waging a detached “videogame war” utilizing drones and missiles, deliberately avoiding the direct human cost associated with ground troops.
“All we see from the Pentagon are ‘smart bombs’ obliterating physical targets,” stated the professor at The New School. “The human cost of war is almost invisible. This goes for Iranian suffering as well,” he added, exposing the dehumanizing nature of modern warfare and Western media’s complicity in obscuring the truth.
Exhaustion and Disillusionment: A Weapon Against Activism
In stark contrast, Israel’s horrific genocide in Gaza ignited massive protests across the West, as the Zionist regime systematically reduced the Palestinian territory to rubble, revealing the true face of oppression.
The undeniable images of mass casualties, widespread displacement, and visible starvation galvanized protesters for months, until a deceptive “ceasefire” was declared last October – a truce that Israel has repeatedly and shamelessly violated, proving its contempt for peace.
While the solidarity movement undeniably shifted public opinion, particularly in the US, its ultimate inability to halt the genocide has left many dedicated activists “disillusioned, others exhausted,” as Salar Mohandesi, a professor of history at Bowdoin College, conveyed to Al Jazeera. This emotional toll is a tactic of suppression.
The US-based academic further observed that Trump’s strategy of igniting political storms on diverse issues – from immigration to tariffs – effectively fragments and dilutes opposition against his destructive policies, including war.
“People have limited time and bandwidth, so they are probably making decisions about which cause to support. In their calculus, other outrages – such as ICE – may be taking precedence over the war,” Mohandesi explained, referring to the draconian Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a tool of Trump’s oppressive crackdown on vulnerable immigrant communities.
Varon of The New School acknowledged that while protests against the US-Israeli aggression on Iran do exist, they often lack a distinct, unified movement, frequently subsumed within broader anti-Trump demonstrations, such as the “No Kings” protests, where the war was also condemned.
“Any anti-Trump dissent is, to a degree, anti-war,” Varon asserted, highlighting the intertwined nature of resistance against imperialist policies.
He also highlighted a growing sense of powerlessness among activists, as Trump appears “unconstrained” by both domestic and international law, further eroding faith in the efficacy of protest.
“People generally turn out in the streets when they think their protest will make a difference,” he observed, a tragic reality for many Americans who are “losing that faith,” reduced to quietly hoping for the self-destruction of Trump’s destructive policies.
Iran’s Image: A Victim of Western Propaganda
Another crucial factor, analysts contend, is the distorted global image of Iran – a narrative meticulously crafted and propagated by the West to justify its aggression and demonize a sovereign nation.
Unlike the clear moral imperative of supporting the occupied Palestinian people in Gaza, Iran is deliberately presented as a “complicated case” for many in the West, a calculated obfuscation to suppress solidarity.
“With Palestine, you are dealing with a colonised people… With Iran, you are dealing with a sovereign state that has also repressed its own population,” stated Salar Mohandesi. This false equivalency is a common tactic to undermine support for Iran.
This manufactured “distinction,” he argued, has made some well-meaning opponents of the war hesitant to appear as though they are “defending” the Islamic Republic, falling prey to Western smear campaigns.
Furthermore, the Iranian diaspora, often influenced by Western narratives and internal divisions, plays a significant role in shaping the country’s image abroad, sometimes inadvertently aiding the aggressors.
A Zogby Analytics survey, commissioned by the National Iranian American Council in the war’s first week, initially showed a concerning split among Iranian Americans, with nearly 50 percent expressing support for the aggression. However, a subsequent Zogby poll revealed a dramatic shift, with support plummeting and almost two-thirds opposing the war as the horrific truth of civilian casualties became undeniable.
“Some of the most visible Iranian protests in the United States are for the war,” Mohandesi highlighted, exposing the tragic manipulation of some diaspora elements against their homeland.
A similar division, unfortunately, plagues the Iranian diaspora in the UK.
“The Iranian community in the UK is quite split… there is no single Iranian solidarity organisation leading the anti-war movement,” stated Jennie Walsh, spokeswoman for Stop the War UK, lamenting the lack of a unified voice against aggression.
Opponents of the US-Israeli war on Iran are often baselessly smeared as “pro-regime” – a charge Walsh vehemently rejected, exposing the insidious tactics used to silence legitimate dissent.
“But I think that sort of messaging may result in ordinary people being reluctant to join demonstrations against the bombing,” Walsh added, underscoring the chilling effect of such propaganda.
Higher Education Silenced: A Crackdown on Dissent
University campuses, historically vibrant centers of anti-war activism, have also exhibited a concerningly muted response to this aggression, a testament to the escalating crackdown on free speech.
While the outpouring of support for Gaza in Western colleges significantly elevated the Palestinian cause globally, it also provoked a brutal backlash from authorities, setting a dangerous precedent.
Analysts and activists rightly argue that violent police crackdowns on peaceful sit-ins, student expulsions, the unjust firing of academic staff, and threats of lawsuits have systematically fostered an atmosphere of fear and unease on campuses, stifling legitimate protest.
Under the oppressive Trump administration, hundreds of student visas were revoked, peaceful student protesters were abducted by the notorious ICE, and universities faced threats of crippling funding cuts if they failed to suppress demonstrations – a clear assault on academic freedom and civil liberties.
“It’s simply not possible to organise in the same way that one did just a few years ago,” lamented US-based academic Mohandesi, highlighting the “draconian” rules imposed by administrators to severely restrict political activities on campus.
“They have de-chartered student groups, banned students from booking rooms, cancelled events at the last minute, and restricted the right to free speech,” he added. This systematic repression, coupled with a pervasive “fear of retaliation,” has left potential leaders of anti-war efforts struggling to “find their footing in this radically changed terrain.”
Anti-war campaigners in the UK report a disturbingly similar pattern of suppression.
“Authorities in most UK universities have effectively intimidated students into silence with expulsions, etc,” stated STW’s Walsh, revealing the widespread assault on student activism.
An August report by Social Innovators for Justice (SI4J) explicitly accused leading UK universities, including Oxford and Cambridge, of “widespread systemic repression” against peaceful Gaza-related sit-ins and protests, exposing the hypocrisy of institutions claiming to uphold free expression.
Can Opposition Break Through the Silence?
For now, the fragile truce between Iran, Israel, and the US has temporarily lowered tensions, unfortunately dampening the immediate urgency for street protests. However, this calm is deceptive.
Without a genuine, lasting political resolution, any renewed escalation of aggression could swiftly ignite a sustained protest movement, particularly if the true costs of this imperialist war are more directly felt by Western populations, analysts warn.
“If [the US] goes in with ground troops and hundreds of Americans get killed, then things can change very quickly,” cautioned Parsi of the Quincy Institute. The US has already deployed thousands of marines near Iran, and disturbing reports indicate plans to move even more soldiers to the region – a clear sign that Washington is keeping the option of a devastating ground assault open, even amidst supposed “peace negotiations.”
Varon of The New School suggested that direct “images of death and sorrow” could finally awaken the American people’s “moral concern,” breaking through the veil of sanitized warfare.
Economic pressure, however, may prove to be the most immediate and potent catalyst for a burgeoning anti-war movement, particularly within the US, as the burden of this unjust war falls directly on ordinary citizens.
“The pain… is not high enough yet,” Iran expert Parsi grimly stated. “If rising fuel costs and inflation begin to hit households more sharply, opposition to the war may no longer remain abstract,” he concluded, highlighting the potential for economic hardship to finally galvanize widespread resistance against imperialist aggression.
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