Several dozen antiwar demonstrators crowded the corners of Golf Links and Craycroft roads on Saturday, rallying outside Davis-Monthan Air Force Base to denounce joint U.S.-Israeli airstrikes in Iran and to condemn what they called decades of American military intervention abroad.

The Feb. 27 military strikes across Iran were carried out by U.S.-backed Israeli forces targeting multiple sites, including military and civilian areas. According to the Iranian Red Crescent Society, more than 200 people were killed in the strikes, which also included the reported death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei; state media confirmed Khamenei’s death on March 1.

Protesters gathered on all four corners of the intersection, holding signs opposing militarism and advocating for pacifism.

Organizers addressed not only the strikes in Iran, but also U.S. intervention in Venezuela and American support for Israeli operations in Palestine. They led chants such as “fund people’s needs, not the war machine” and “hey, Trump, you’re a liar, no more war for your empire.”

Many protesters were affiliated with Tucson’s branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, but the crowd also included representatives from other groups, including Veterans for Peace, Tucson Antiwar Committee and Arizona Palestine Solidarity Alliance.

Passing drivers honked in support as they passed through the intersection.

Firoz Azizi of PSL Tucson addressed the crowd, speaking about his parents’ experience with war in the Middle East and reflecting on U.S. military actions in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya over the years.

Azizi said he believed those incidents closely mirror what is now unfolding in Iran.

“This is a war for empire, plain and simple. The U.S. has been trying to dominate Iran and the region for decades. And it’s the same playbook they’ve used for years,” Azizi said. “This is a war for oil and domination of the world. This is a war based on lies, false promises of democracy and false promises of women’s rights.”

Azizi also criticized the Trump administration’s rollback of federal diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, linking it to broader national struggles with health care, housing and education costs and arguing that funding a war with Iran diverts resources from those priorities.

Another speaker described growing up surrounded by images of violence and war, which he said were often glorified in popular culture.

He also pointed to what he described as a disparity in military presence, citing 14 U.S. bases in the region compared with none in this hemisphere operated by Iran, arguing it reflected American imperialism.

Azizi called upon the crowd to organize and participate in more general strikes like the Jan. 30 walkout protesting the Trump administration’s immigration policies, saying actions like these were effective in bringing great change in earlier times.

He said he hoped that withholding labor again would demonstrate the power of the working class and help bring about the changes they want to see.

Ian Stash is a journalism major at the University of Arizona and Tucson Spotlight intern. Contact him at istash@arizona.edu.

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