To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.

×

If people don’t back independent journalism, it will die

Defeating Trump’s authoritarian takeover requires hard-hitting, people-powered journalism unafraid of making enemies or calling out villains. That’s the model that Common Dreams was built on from the beginning.

Right now, our team is doing the best, most consequential reporting we’ve ever done, keeping our millions of readers well-informed, inspired, and engaged—but we simply can’t do this work without your dedicated support.

If people don’t back independent journalism, it will die—it’s as simple as that. Will you make a gift to our Summer Campaign and keep the fearless, independent journalism of Common Dreams alive and strong?

If people don’t back independent journalism, it will die

Right now, our team is doing the best, most consequential reporting we’ve ever done, keeping our millions of readers well-informed, inspired, and engaged—but we simply can’t do this work without your dedicated support.

If people don’t back independent journalism, it will die—it’s as simple as that. Will you make a gift to our Summer Campaign and keep the fearless, independent journalism of Common Dreams alive and strong?

'We Apologize' for Trump's Reckless Aggression, US Peace Advocates Say in Open Letter to Iranian People

CodePink protesters at a Congressional hearing on Iran in 2015. (Photo: CodePink)

'We Apologize' for Trump's Reckless Aggression, US Peace Advocates Say in Open Letter to Iranian People

The letter, from activist group CodePink, comes ahead of peace demonstrations scheduled Saturday in 200 cities around the world.

NewsWar & Peace

The peace advocacy group CodePink is collecting American signatures for a letter apologizing to the Iranian people for U.S. aggression and warmaking, particularly President Donald Trump's decision on January 3 to order the assassination by drone strike of Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani while Soleimani was in Iraq.

"As Americans committed to peace and the safety of all people, we, the undersigned, apologize for the actions of our reckless, hate-filled president," the letter says, "and pledge to do everything we can to stop Trump's aggression, remove the crippling sanctions you are suffering under, and resume a process of diplomacy with your country."

The U.S. and Iran have been in a Cold-War style conflict for decades, but the Soleimani assassination marked a notable escalation in tensions.

In a tweet about Saturday's demonstrations, CodePink cofounder Medea Benjamin warned that war was still a very real possibility.

"Think we avoided war with Iran a few weeks ago?" said Benjamin. "Think again. We are still on the brink."

CodePink's letter condemns in no uncertain terms the continuing conflict.

"The recent U.S. actions towards Iran are the most dangerous and provocative of all of Donald Trump's foreign policy decisions," reads the letter. "The assassination of Soleimani--ordered by President Trump and carried out on sovereign Iraqi soil--risked the safety of the entire world, set a dangerous precedent, and was likely illegal under international law."

The demonstrations, which are in 200 cities around the world, are set for Saturday. CodePink is joining more than 150 other sponsors for the event.

Find a protest near you here.

"Please accept our hand in friendship," says the letter. "May the peacemakers prevail over those who sow hatred and discord."

An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder


Dear Common Dreams reader,

The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets.

That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done.

Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good.

Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support.

That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you.

Our Summer Campaign is now underway, and there’s never been a more urgent time for Common Dreams to be as vigilant as possible. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams?

Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most.

- Craig Brown, Co-founder

Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
codepinkiranmedea benjaminqasem soleimanitrumpism

The peace advocacy group CodePink is collecting American signatures for a letter apologizing to the Iranian people for U.S. aggression and warmaking, particularly President Donald Trump's decision on January 3 to order the assassination by drone strike of Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani while Soleimani was in Iraq.

"As Americans committed to peace and the safety of all people, we, the undersigned, apologize for the actions of our reckless, hate-filled president," the letter says, "and pledge to do everything we can to stop Trump's aggression, remove the crippling sanctions you are suffering under, and resume a process of diplomacy with your country."

The U.S. and Iran have been in a Cold-War style conflict for decades, but the Soleimani assassination marked a notable escalation in tensions.

In a tweet about Saturday's demonstrations, CodePink cofounder Medea Benjamin warned that war was still a very real possibility.

"Think we avoided war with Iran a few weeks ago?" said Benjamin. "Think again. We are still on the brink."

CodePink's letter condemns in no uncertain terms the continuing conflict.

"The recent U.S. actions towards Iran are the most dangerous and provocative of all of Donald Trump's foreign policy decisions," reads the letter. "The assassination of Soleimani--ordered by President Trump and carried out on sovereign Iraqi soil--risked the safety of the entire world, set a dangerous precedent, and was likely illegal under international law."

The demonstrations, which are in 200 cities around the world, are set for Saturday. CodePink is joining more than 150 other sponsors for the event.

Find a protest near you here.

"Please accept our hand in friendship," says the letter. "May the peacemakers prevail over those who sow hatred and discord."

The peace advocacy group CodePink is collecting American signatures for a letter apologizing to the Iranian people for U.S. aggression and warmaking, particularly President Donald Trump's decision on January 3 to order the assassination by drone strike of Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani while Soleimani was in Iraq.

"As Americans committed to peace and the safety of all people, we, the undersigned, apologize for the actions of our reckless, hate-filled president," the letter says, "and pledge to do everything we can to stop Trump's aggression, remove the crippling sanctions you are suffering under, and resume a process of diplomacy with your country."

The U.S. and Iran have been in a Cold-War style conflict for decades, but the Soleimani assassination marked a notable escalation in tensions.

In a tweet about Saturday's demonstrations, CodePink cofounder Medea Benjamin warned that war was still a very real possibility.

"Think we avoided war with Iran a few weeks ago?" said Benjamin. "Think again. We are still on the brink."

CodePink's letter condemns in no uncertain terms the continuing conflict.

"The recent U.S. actions towards Iran are the most dangerous and provocative of all of Donald Trump's foreign policy decisions," reads the letter. "The assassination of Soleimani--ordered by President Trump and carried out on sovereign Iraqi soil--risked the safety of the entire world, set a dangerous precedent, and was likely illegal under international law."

The demonstrations, which are in 200 cities around the world, are set for Saturday. CodePink is joining more than 150 other sponsors for the event.

Find a protest near you here.

"Please accept our hand in friendship," says the letter. "May the peacemakers prevail over those who sow hatred and discord."

codepinkiranmedea benjaminqasem soleimanitrumpism
Join the Conversation