SEATTLE — Hundreds gathered in downtown Seattle on Saturday afternoon following a joint US-Israeli attack on Iran.
“Finally, to the great, proud people of Iran, I say tonight that the hour of your freedom is at hand,” President Donald Trump said in a video posted to Truth Social following the strikes.
Countless Americans woke up to news of the attack on Iran Saturday morning, with Trump promising democracy to the people of Iran and warning that American lives may be lost.
“That often happens in war, but we aren’t doing this not for now,” Trump said. “We are doing this for the future.”
“We are here to show a unified front, saying no war with Iran,” Rae Lee of the activist group Seattle Against War said.
Lee’s group sprang into action after the news broke. They called hundreds to Pike Place Market to protest. They marched around downtown, waving signs and chanting.
Their message was clear: keep US troops and resources out of Iran.
“Stop bombing Iran now, and pull back our military hardware,” Lee said. “We have no business there.”
That feeling was echoed by Washington’s U.S. senators.
In a statement, Senator Maria Cantwell called the Iranian government an enemy of the U.S., but stressed that such a strike should have had congressional approval.
Senator Patty Murray called the action reckless and said it is already sparking attacks on U.S. bases.
Trump said the strikes will continue throughout the week and as long as necessary.