As the US ramps up its assault against Iran with daily bombings and threatens a full ground invasion, hundreds of public figures from across Iranian civil society issued an urgent call for peace on Sunday.

Two hundred sixty-eight prominent Iranians—including political activists, academics, former members of Parliament, religious figures, labor leaders, and others—signed a joint declaration calling for a “complete and unconditional end of war, and the cessation of all threats, incitement to hatred, and warmongering.”

“We believe that the overwhelming majority of the Iranian people desire peace and the right to live a dignified life,” the statement says. “Therefore, since no decision should be imposed upon the country against the will of its people… we firmly remind all governments, military forces involved in the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, and all members of the international community that violating this fundamental right of the Iranian people is a grave injustice against a nation that does not want war and stands for peace.”

“Despite all our differences, we raise our collective voice to say ‘No to War,’” the letter continued. “We sincerely call upon all our fellow Iranians—regardless of gender, political or ideological beliefs, religion, ethnicity, or any other distinction—to join this call and strengthen its echo by adding their voices.”

The declaration ends with a quote from the 13th-century Persian poet Saadi Shirazi: “Even if you possess the strength of an elephant or the claws of a lion, to me, peace is still better than war.”

The National Iranian American Council (NIAC) emphasized the “breadth of the signatories,” which span large swaths of political opinion and reflect “a rare convergence across Iran’s deeply fragmented political landscape.”

Among the signatories are Kak Hassan Amini, a Sunni activist; Faezeh Hashemi, a former member of Iran’s Parliament and the daughter of former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani; teachers’ labor rights activist Maryam Kabiri; former Parliament members Elaheh Koulaei and Parvaneh Salahshouri; and former Central Bank Gov. Valiollah Seif.

The letter comes as the US has conducted nine consecutive nights of bombings following a short-lived truce in June. Earlier strikes targeted areas around the Strait of Hormuz—which Iran again sealed off as June’s memorandum of understanding collapsed.

In recent days, US strikes have begun to creep inland. In addition to military infrastructure, the US has attacked facilities relied upon by civilians, including bridges, roads, a train station, an airport, and energy infrastructure.

In retaliation for strikes that killed two US service members in Jordan over the weekend, the US launched another round of strikes on Monday that struck the construction site of a planned nuclear power plant, according to Iran’s atomic energy agency.

Iranian authorities have said that at least 50 people have been killed and at least 517 wounded in the latest round of US strikes. At least 3,500 Iranians have been killed since the US and Israel attacked Iran in late February, including more than 1,700 confirmed civilians, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).

At least 17 US troops have been killed since the war began, with Iran’s strikes in Jordan killing 25-year-old 1st Lt. James Feehan and 19-year-old Pvt. Isabella Gonzales over the weekend. Another soldier has also gone missing and has not yet been publicly identified.

President Donald Trump vowed in a social media post on Monday that "every time Iran kills an American Soldier” going forward “they will pay for that killing many times over.”

With Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz once again causing global oil prices to soar, the Trump administration is reportedly mulling a full-scale ground invasion of Kharg Island and areas of coastline near the strait, which experts have warned would require hundreds of thousands of American troops and likely lead to many more casualties.

Democrats in Congress responded to the deaths of two more US soldiers by renewing calls to end the conflict.

“These brave troops gave their lives in service to our nation,” said Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.). “How many more must die for Trump’s war of choice?”

Trump’s escalations come despite the US House of Representatives and Senate passing a war powers resolution last month that directed him to withdraw troops from hostilities with Iran unless Congress authorizes them.

From Common Dreams via This RSS Feed.