Many US soldiers oppose war on Iran, conscientious objector group says
A non-profit that assists conscientious objectors said its phone has been "ringing off the hook” with US service members who object to serving in the US-Israel war on Iran.
The group's executive director said in a post on X that there was fierce opposition to the war on Iran, and that the mobilisation of US troops has been compared with opposition to the 2003 US invasion of Iraq.
“Phone has been ringing off the hook. A LOT more units have just been activated for deployment than the public knows about,” Center on Conscience & War executive director Mike Prysner wrote on X.
Middle East Eye reported last week that the US was considering sending special forces into Iran, but there has also been speculation of a wider mobilisation.
The army cancelled a major training exercise for some soldiers from the US's 82nd Airborne Division, which specialises in ground combat.
Meanwhile, in an interview with Fox News, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt refused to rule out the US bringing back the draft. The last time the US conscripted men to fight was in December 1972, during the waning months of the Vietnam War.
'Disgust at US massacre of the girls’ school'
The Center on Conscience & War is a non-profit group that supports conscientious objectors, a title given to one who opposes serving in the armed forces or bearing arms based on moral or religious principles.
In the US, there is a deep tradition of conscientious objectors to foreign wars, particularly among Christian-rooted communities like the Quakers and the Amish.
The centre said it was deluged with calls amid concerns the Trump administration was preparing to deploy troops to Iran, and that opposition was much more widespread than has been reported.
“Got a call yesterday from a service member facing deployment who is not only filing for Conscientious Objector now, but reports widespread opposition to the Iran War within their unit and will be sharing our number with everyone,” the centre said in another post on X.
“In particular, they conveyed disgust at the US massacre of the girls’ school as well as the attack on the Iranian frigate in international waters,” the post added.
At least 165 people, mostly young girls, were killed by an apparent US-Israeli attack on a girls’ school in southern Iran’s Minab. Middle East Eye reported that the school was hit with two strikes, with the second missile killing sheltering survivors and first responders, in what is called a double-tap strike.
Following MEE’s report, subsequent reporting, including by The New York Times, added to evidence that the US was responsible for bombing the school. A video released by Iran’s semiofficial Mehr News Agency showed a Tomahawk cruise missile striking a naval base beside the school.
The Trump administration has demurred when asked about the strike - despite the mounting evidence. Trump on Saturday blamed Iran for attacking the school, saying they have “inaccurate” munitions, without providing evidence.
Iran has conducted pinpoint strikes on the US, bombing advanced radar stations, military bases, and even the CIA's section of the US embassy in Riyadh, along with critical energy infrastructure in Gulf states.
This article was sourced from Middle East Eye.
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