On June 13, the nightmare long feared by Iranian civil society became reality: Israel launched a military attack on Iran, resulting in civilian deaths, widespread destruction of infrastructure, and the displacement of countless people. Both inside and outside of Iran, political and civil society activists had long raised their voices against the threat of war through social media campaigns, coordinated Twitter storms, and public statements.
In late October 2023, dozens of Iranian academics, writers, artists, political activists, and advocates for human and women’s rights issued a joint statement unequivocally condemning all direct or indirect calls for military intervention in Iran. While strongly criticizing the Islamic Republic’s destabilizing actions and regional interference, the statement warned that any military attack on Iran—regardless of the pretext or context, including ongoing regional conflicts—would devastate the country and severely undermine the Iranian people’s grassroots struggle for democracy and freedom. The signatories emphasized that meaningful change in Iran and a transition away from authoritarian rule can only be achieved through the efforts of the people themselves. Military intervention, they cautioned, would not only risk prolonging the regime’s grip on power but would also pose a serious threat to peace and democracy, inflicting immense suffering and destruction on the nation.
In November 2024, a group of political and civil society activists in Iran addressed a letter to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the President of the Security Council, and its members, encouraging them to engage all available diplomatic and political means to support the will of the Iranian people and prevent a devastating war in the Middle East. At the time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had directly addressed the Iranian people, promising them “freedom for Iran.” In response, the signatories firmly rejected any foreign intervention and wrote: “We say an unequivocal ‘No’ to your interference or that of any government in determining the fate of the Iranian nation.”
Despite persistent online attacks, insults, and smear campaigns by far-right groups —even against activists who have suffered imprisonment, torture, or other forms of state violence for taking part in the struggle for freedom in Iran — the anti-war stance of Iranian civil society actors has never been silenced. Now, in the face of Israel’s military aggression against Iran, that anti-war voice has grown louder than ever.
“We do not want change that does not come through our minds and bodies.”
In one of the first statements issued in response to Israel’s attack, a group of prominent Iranian figures strongly emphasized the importance of preserving Iran’s territorial integrity and upholding the Iranian people’s right to national sovereignty. The signatories included Nobel Peace Prize laureates Narges Mohammadi and Shirin Ebadi; internationally acclaimed filmmakers Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof; human rights lawyer Abdolfattah Soltani; Shahnaz Akmali, the mother of Mostafa Karim Beigi who was killed by regime forces during the 2009 protests; and Sedigheh Vasmaghi, an Islamic scholar and legal expert imprisoned for opposing mandatory hijab. They called for an immediate end to uranium enrichment by the Islamic Republic, a halt to military attacks on critical infrastructure in both Iran and Israel, and a cessation of violence against civilians. “We call on the United Nations and the international community,” they wrote, “to take urgent and decisive action — to compel the Islamic Republic to stop uranium enrichment, and to pressure both sides to end military strikes on each other’s vital infrastructure. The statement, published in Le Monde, sparked widespread criticism from civil and political activists for its failure to directly acknowledge Israel’s military aggression against Iranian territory and its ongoing war crimes in Gaza. Feminist translator and children’s rights advocate Sarvenaz Ahmadi—who was arrested during the “Jina” uprising and spent two years in prison—voiced strong objections to the statement. She wrote: “Israel is one of the world’s most blatant violators of nuclear non-proliferation principles. It is not a signatory to the NPT, has never been held accountable for its nuclear arsenal, and is currently committing one of the most catastrophic genocides of our time. Therefore, it has neither the legal nor the moral legitimacy to criticize Iran’s nuclear program. The statement’s failure to explicitly and firmly condemn Israel’s attack on Iran severely undermines its moral credibility.”
Ahmadi further stressed the need to draw clear political boundaries and distinguish the positions of different movements, particularly to expose war-mongering factions within the so-called “opposition” and their aligned media platforms. She pointed to the vocal right-wing current among opponents of the Islamic Republic, who view Israel’s military attack as a “historic opportunity” to overthrow the regime — openly or implicitly framing the killing of civilians and destruction of national infrastructure as collateral damage and a necessary sacrifice in the name of Iran’s “liberation”. This narrative, she argued, is increasingly amplified by mainstream opposition media outlets, which attempt to marginalize the voices of independent civil society voices — those who believe that true freedom can only be achieved through the grassroots justice-driven struggles of the Iranian people.
In another pointed critique, translator and women’s rights activist Zarrin Javadi wrote: “These seasoned political figures must surely understand that calling on the international community to ‘pave the way for the Islamic Republic’s resignation’ is effectively a call for foreign military intervention in Iran. It means the destruction of everything that has been built over time. It means starting from nothing, with no agency left to the people; it means change imposed through bloodshed. We are sitting here under Israel’s missiles, and yet our voices remain strong. We reject any form of change that does not emerge from our own minds, our own bodies, and our own struggle.”
Although the wave of criticism led some of the statement’s signatories to later clarify their opposition to Israel’s military attacks and the killing of civilians—via posts on their platforms, others noted that the original statement had already circulated in international media — ultimately serving to legitimize a state whose prime minister was issued a warrant arrest by the International Criminal Court for war crimes.
Shortly after, Narges Mohammadi addressed the issue directly in an interview with BBC World, stating: “I deeply believe that democracy, human rights, and freedom cannot be achieved through violence and war.”In a separate joint statement, a group of women Nobel Peace Prize laureates—including Mohammadi and Shirin Ebadi—condemned Israel as the initiator of the conflict and a violator of international law, calling for an immediate ceasefire. Abdolfattah Soltani also stated on his Instagram page that Israel’s military aggression constituted a clear violation of human rights, international law, and an act of hostility against the people of Iran.
In addition to the statement mentioned above, numerous political prisoners, civil society organizations, and grassroots groups issued separate statements condemning Israel’s attack. The Iranian Writers’ Association referenced Israel’s crimes in Gaza and the expansion of its militarism and aggression into Iranian territory and wrote: “Iranian Writer’s Association condemns Israel’s blatant aggression against Iran and calls on freedom-loving writers, intellectuals, and allied institutions in Iran and around the world to fulfil their true enlightening roles: to break the media-driven polarization and help make the independent voice of the people heard, and to strengthen their movements for freedom.” By media polarization the statement means two media poles that swallow independent voices from both sides: one that turns a warmongering regime notorious for killing children, into a saviour, and another that cloaks the repressive face of the Islamic Republic under the guise of defending the homeland.
No to War: Voices from Prison
Since the start of the Israeli attacks and the repeated issuance of evacuation orders for Tehran, serious concerns have been raised regarding the safety and well-being of prisoners. Sayeh Seydal, a political prisoner held in Evin Prison, wrote a letter urging authorities to grant emergency furloughs or conditional releases to low-risk inmates, given the current wartime conditions in Iran. Directive No. 211, issued by the Iranian Judiciary in 1986, obligates courts in war zones or emergencies to release prisoners—depending on the nature of their offences—either conditionally or with guarantees, to protect their lives.
Despite the risks they face for speaking out, Anisha Asadollahi, Nahid Khodajoo, and Nasrin Khezrjavadi sent a message from Evin Prison, describing themselves as “government hostages held in prisons across Iranian cities, locked behind multiple layers of iron doors, with no means of self-defense.” Yet even in captivity, their concern remains with the fate of the Iranian people. In their statement, they wrote: “The real victims of such wars are the people — those who played no role in starting them. There is no doubt that the people of Iran and other nations do not want war. Wars imposed by governments bring nothing but devastation and ruin, claiming the lives and livelihoods of thousands of defenseless and vulnerable human beings.”
In another statement, four women political prisoners from Evin — Reyhaneh Ansari (A labour rights activist currently serving a four-year prison sentence), Sakineh Parvaneh (A Kurdish political activist currently serving a 7.5-year sentence), Varisheh Moradi (A Kurdish activist who has been sentenced to death in Iran), and Golrokh Iraei (A human rights activist currently serving a seven-year prison sentence)— emphasised that liberation from dictatorship in Iran can only be achieved through mass struggle and by relying on social movements, not by placing hope on foreign powers. They wrote: “The attack on Iran, the killing of civilians, and the destruction of the country’s infrastructure by the Zionist regime and its American supporters are all condemned, just like their other crimes across the world and in the Middle East. Support for Israel and reliance on its destructive power— whether by an individual, group, or political faction —regardless of their dreams, intentions, or ideas, must also be condemned. Their support reflects their own disgrace and moral bankruptcy.”
Zia Nabavi, a former student activist who spent 10 years in prison and is currently on temporary furlough, wrote an essay titled “In Praise of Saying Yes to Life”. He argued that one doesn’t need in-depth knowledge of Israel or its long history of criminal acts to condemn this war; a basic instinct for survival and a commitment to life with dignity are reason enough. He criticized opposition groups that endorse war and crippling economic sanctions, asserting that such measures do not dismantle the systems that produce public suffering — they merely recreate them in a different form. Addressing activists who, out of fear of being labeled “regime sympathizers,” avoid condemning Israel aggression, Nabavi wrote: “If opposing compulsory veiling and asserting our right to wear what we choose places us in the “regime change” camp in the eyes of those defending the status quo, let’s not be scared. And if our affirmation of life, or our solidarity with fellow citizens harmed by war, places us in the camp of regime “supporters” by warmongers, let us be unashamed.”
Position of Labor and Trade Union Activists: No nation comes to know safety through displacement
Teachers, labor associations, retired workers, and other independent organisations and associations were among the groups that, while acknowledging the repression they have suffered under the Islamic Republic, issued statements condemning Israel’s attack on Iranian territory. In a statement, teachers’ activists wrote: “With heavy hearts, we witness the spread of war in a region that has long been denied the right to peace. We cannot stay silent in the face of what is happening in Iran today—this level of violence and hatred is impossible for us to ignore. We yield to no power—military, religious, or political—but we bow our heads in shame before the children, for all they are forced to endure. What the rulers of Israel and the extremists within our own country are doing to people is a crime. And we believe we have the right—as an independent teachers’ association—to raise our voice and say: Peace cannot be built with a clenched fist. No nation comes to know safety through displacement. We believe that our voice, as teachers, should be a voice for peace, not peace as surrender to injustice, but peace as standing beside people, especially innocent children.”
Bus Company Workers’ Syndicate, the Haft-Tappeh Workers’ Syndicate, retired workers from Khuzestan, and several other labor unions also released a joint statement. They noted that they have paid heavy costs such as imprisonment, torture, execution, dismissal, threats, and physical assault, just to achieve the most basic rights and necessities of life, and still lack the right to organize, assemble, and express themselves freely. Yet they firmly believe that Israel’s military intervention and the bombing of hundreds of targets across Iran — including infrastructure, workplaces, refineries, and residential areas — are part of a broader war-mongering project for which ordinary people, especially the working class, are paying with their lives, livelihoods, and futures. They wrote: “The workers, teachers, nurses, retirees, and other wage earners of Iran have no interest in war, the expansion of militarism, the bombing of the country, and imperialist and exploitative policies, nor will they ever benefit from them. Israel’s military attacks and bombing of hundreds of targets in We, the independent workers’ and people’s organizations and activists in Iran, have no illusions that the United States and Israel seek to bring freedom, equality, and justice to us — just as we have no illusions about the repressive, interventionist, adventurous, and anti-labor nature of the Islamic Republic.”
Don’t Let Them Bury Our Blood, Displacement, and Fear Under Silence
Most recent statements have taken an unequivocal stance against Israel’s military aggression toward Iran. While recognizing the internal repression and authoritarian nature of the Islamic Republic, they have also strongly opposed any form of foreign intervention in determining the future of the Iranian people. Dasgoharan — a collective of Baloch women activists that emerged during the “Woman, Life, Freedom” uprising inside Iran — issued one of the most forceful and uncompromising statements. They wrote: “The people have no refuge. Facing the unstoppable Israeli death machine. They are leaving their homes and lives behind for an unknown period. Souls and bodies are wounded, children are terrified, and the sound of defense systems and rockets has become the constant background noise of our cities. Under such circumstances, we condemn the attack under any pretext. This condemnation requires no footnote, no exception.”
Alongside associations and union statements, many feminist activists and human rights defenders — including some women who were arrested and imprisoned during the Jina uprising — have also individually spoken out on social media. They’ve written of the pain and terror they are enduring, condemned the war, and expressed solidarity with people across the region. One human rights lawyer wrote: “Don’t let them bury our blood, our displacement, and our fear under silence. The binary of ‘Islamic Republic vs. Israel’ is a false one. We must stand against it. We have only one side: Iran.”
Meanwhile, journalists and women’s rights advocates such as Elaheh Mohammadi, Niloofar Hamedi, Elnaz Mohammadi, and Nasim Soltan-Beigi — all arrested during the Jina uprising — have recently been writing about the impact of war: destroyed homes, people buried under rubble, displacement, and acts of solidarity among civilians.. While a strong anti-war voice has risen from within Iran’s civil society and grassroots movements, some political groups and media outlets — primarily outside the country — continue to portray most Iranians as supporters of military intervention and as hopeful for regime change through foreign force.
On social media, local, independent, anti-war voices are often met with accusations of being “regime sympathizers” and are actively suppressed by certain political factions. In response, members of the Iranian diaspora have mobilized to translate these statements, testimonies, and firsthand accounts into English and other languages, to amplify them on the global stage. Their aim is not only to broadcast the positions of activists and civil society groups, but also to give voice to those living under bombardment and those displaced by war. Numerous social media pages have been launched to translate and circulate the lived experiences of people in Iran. Others are working to document and name civilian victims, turning them from mere statistics into human beings with faces, stories, and dreams that were lost.