San Francisco, CA – On Wednesday, April 8, hundreds of Bay Area residents gathered at the Powell Street BART transit station to protest Trump’s April 7 threats that “a whole civilization will die tonight” if Iran did not reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran closed the strait after relentless U.S. and Israeli bombardment of schools, hospitals, universities, medical research centers, and residential areas. According to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, these attacks have killed at least 1,900 people and injured over 20,000 in Iran.

Demonstrators chanted “No war on Iran” and “U.S. out of the Middle East.”

The protest comes as U.S.-Israeli bombardments on Iran have contributed to a rising cost of living. In some parts of the country, the cost of a full tank of gas has reached $120. In the San Francisco Bay Area, the average price of gas has reached $6 per gallon in most counties, with one station in Menlo Park reaching as high as $7.69 for a gallon of regular.

On April 8, Iran secured a historic victory, forcing Trump to agree to a ten-point plan as the basis for future negotiations with Tehran. The plan was intended to secure a two-week ceasefire, halt U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran, Lebanon, Palestine and across the Middle East, and end decades-long U.S. sanctions that have harmed Iranians’ quality of life – in exchange for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. However, within hours, Israel broke the ceasefire agreement with bombardments on neighborhoods and other civilian areas in Beirut and across Lebanon, killing at least 254 people and injuring 1165 more.

In response to these attacks by Israel, which receives 70% of its weapons through U.S. aid, Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz once again.

The closure of the strait due to U.S.-Israeli attacks will likely impact other aspects of daily life beyond fuel, including higher prices for groceries, fertilizer, chip manufacturing, and other high-tech goods, as stated by Professor of Economics Masao Suzuki in his article Rising gasoline prices lead inflation surge in March.

“We're tired of endless wars. People are on the streets, BART is being gutted, and groceries cost more each day. Iran has never hurt us. But Wall Street and DC keep hurting us every single day. We need a better system, one that puts people in charge instead of these warmongering billionaires,” said Brandon Cavins from Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

The growing number of protests reflects rising frustration among everyday Americans over Trump launching another U.S.-instigated conflict in the Middle East. The Pentagon has requested more than $200 billion additional funds to continue attacks on Iran – most of which would either go to the pockets of arms manufacturers or remain unaccounted for, as seen in the eight previous audits the Pentagon has failed.

Meanwhile, essential needs and services face cuts or underfunding. BART, for example, is looking to close 10 to 15 stations and cut 63% of services, including longer wait times of 30 minutes (up from 10 to 20 minutes), reduced hours (closing at 9 p.m. instead of midnight), increased parking fares, and the layoff of 600 to 1200 employees, due to a $376 million budget deficit caused by decreased federal funding.

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