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4/29/2026 The anti-war movement across the U.S. vehemently condemns the Toboso Massacre enacted by the U.S.-backed Armed Forces of the Philippines and joins the fight for justice for the victimsRead Now SIGN ON: tinyurl.com/Antiwarnegros19
April 29, 2026 - Anti-war organizations across the U.S. vehemently condemn and join the fight for justice for the victims of the most recent massacre enacted by the U.S.-backed Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on April 19. We are grieving the loss of 19 beautiful, vibrant and dedicated individuals and raise the alarm at the forced displacement of more than 653 residents from 168 households in peasant communities in the region of Negros Occidental in the Philippines. Among the confirmed killed are beloved Filipino American activists Lyle Prijoles from California and Kai Sorem from Washington State. Lyle and Kai are part and parcel of our anti-war struggles here in the U.S., the belly of the beast and we are outraged at their murder. The attack took place while over 10,000 U.S. soldiers are currently deployed to the Philippines for the Balikatan war drills and under the context of longstanding military alliances, military aid and counterinsurgency training of the Philippines by the U.S. The evidence mounting that this was indeed a massacre by the AFP violating international humanitarian law, with U.S.-made and funded artillery and aircraft, can not be covered up by the clumsy lies of the latest counterinsurgency force in the Philippines - the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC). We extend our deepest condolences to the families and friends of: 1. Roel Sabillo, 19, resident of Barangay Tabunac, Toboso 2. R.J. Nichole Ledesma, 30, community journalist from Bacolod City 3. Alyssa Alano, councilor, UP Diliman Student Council 4. Maureen Keil Santuyo, 24, member, National Network of Agrarian Reform Advocates (NNARA-Youth) 5. Errol Wendel, 24, member, Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura 6. Jemina Gumadlas, 15, resident of Sitio Plarending, Barangay Salamanca, Toboso 7. Lyle Prijoles, 40, of the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines, from San Franciso, California (USA) 8. Kai Sorem, 26, from Seattle, Washington (USA) 9. Dexter Patajo, 17, Sitio Buklog, Barangay Lalong, Calatrava, Negros Occidental Based on the initial information we have gathered, they were killed despite the fact they were unarmed or non-combatants. Among them are a journalist, a student leader, peasant organizers, overseas human rights workers and local residents. Two of the victims were minors. We also honor red fighters of the New People's Army who fought the fascists to their last breath. They are: 1. Roger Fabillar (Ka Tapang), who served as NPA commander of the Northern Negros Front 2. Sonny Boy Caramihan, 28, from IBarangay Bagonbon, San Carlos City; 3. Rene Villarin Sr, 57, Barangay Marcelo, Calatrava, squad leader; 4. Pedro Bonghanoy, medical officer, Barangay Libertad, Escalante City; 5. Arnel Javoc, 32, from Barangay Lalong, Calatrava; 6. Joros Caramihan y Ramos, 18, from Don Salvador Benedicto; 7. Maria Clarita Branzuel Blanco (Ka Sanim/Pat), Political Instructor; and 8. Genevieve Balora (Ka Raia), from Bacolod City, district Party cadre 9. Labskie Purisimia Enustacion, 33, of Sitio Tinibawan, Barangay Bug-ang, Toboso 10. Jocel Gimang, 18, of Sitio Bautista, Barangay Malasibog, Escalante City The Toboso massacre is also significant since it is the first time in the country’s history that two foreign human rights advocates have been killed in an encirclement and suppression campaign by the Philippine Army and its paramilitary forces. Lyle Prijoles with International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) and Kai Sorem with Anakbayan South Seattle had long supported the campaign in U.S. Congress to significantly reduce military aid to the Philippines owing to extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and massive displacement of rural communities. Negros, along with Samar and Bicol, was declared as a site of “lawless violence” by Memorandum Circular No. 32 (MC32) by then president Rodrigo Duterte in 2018. The memorandum was released following several extrajudicial killings of peasants and activists, including the nine members of the National Federation of Sugar Workers massacred in Sagay on October 20, 2018. Scores have been killed in Negros Island because of joint military and police operations, with the Sagay 9 massacre as a prime example of the culture of impunity trashing the rule of law and Philippine obligations under international humanitarian law. The Toboso 19 massacre is but a repeat of the Escalante massacre, September 20, 1985, in Escalante, Negros Occidental where government paramilitary forces gunned down civilians engaged in a rally in commemoration of the 13th anniversary of the declaration of martial law, during the dark days of the Marcos Sr. fascist dictatorship. It is no coincidence that this bloodshed occurred as the U.S. and Philippines' militaries conduct the annual multi-lateral Balikatan ("Shoulder-to-Shoulder") military exercises. Balikatan was launched in 2001, initially justified under the global war on terror and concentrated on counterinsurgency operations. Over time, Balikatan and dozens of other annual U.S.-Philippines military exercises evolved into mechanisms for interoperability, logistics integration, and strategic positioning. Since their beginning, the Balikatan exercises have fostered numerous human rights violations against the Filipino people. In addition to the massacre in Toboso Negros, three people were killed and two were injured in a region near the locations of the Balikatan exercises in Zamboanga City, Mindanao, including a 12-year-old Moro child, during a joint operation of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) in the early morning of April 23, 2026. This December 2025, the U.S. PERA "Philippines Enhanced Resiliancy" Act was passed through bipartisan support in the National Defense Authorization Act in Congress giving "$2.5 billion in U.S. security assistance" to the Philippines to "deepen U.S.-Philippines defense cooperation and strengthen the defense capabilities and interoperability of the U.S.-Philippines Alliance to meet growing threats in the Indo-Pacific". This has embedded US doctrine, command structures, and operational dependence into the Armed Forces of the Philippines, which is using this playbook to kill the peasant masses struggling for their land and livelihood, and those who choose to fight alongside them. This kind of U.S. military funding, training, and support for the AFP shows the direct culpability of the U.S. military and government in the war crimes and violence committed in these massacres. While the genocide rages in Gaza, ceasefire violations continue in Lebanon and the hybrid-warfare against Iran continues in West Asia, the Zionist forces of Israel also are complicit in the massacre in the Philippines. Public records show that Israeli defense companies have supplied the Philippines with drones, radar systems, patrol vessels, and thousands of assault rifles used by police and military units. These partnerships reinforce security approaches centered on surveillance, rapid neutralization of targets, and combat-style engagement. These incidents point to a pattern of intelligence-driven raids conducted in civilian areas under the framework of “counter terrorism,” blurring the line between law enforcement and combat. The U.S. has directed conducted or backed similar massacres under so-called "combating narco terrorism" boat strike operations in the Caribbean and Pacific against Venezuelan, Colombian and Trinidadian individuals, as well as the murders in the bombings of peasants in Esmeraldas, Ecuador and the murder of five young people in Colcabamba, Peru this week by the Peruvian military under so-called "anti-trafficking" military operations. The Anti-War movement must join the fight against the military aid, exercises and U.S. military-backed operations that are not only preparing the national armies of US neo-colonies for future wars but are already emboldening fascist forces to be used by U.S. puppet government against their own people. We join the calls of our comrades in the Philippines national democratic movement for Justice for the Negros 19 in Toboso and the victims of the massacre in Zamboanga City. We demand an immediate and independent investigation into the AFP’s April 19th attack and into US funding and support for the brutal, fascist Ferdinand Marcos Jr. administration. And we honor those who served the people until their last breath. Signed, Resist U.S.-Led War Movement, United National Antiwar Coalition, Antiwar Action Network, Anti-Imperialist Scholars Collective, Diaspora Pa’lante Collective, Labor for Palestine, Prutehi Guahan, Black Alliance for Peace, Palestinian Youth Movement, Workers World Party, International Action Center, International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines - U.S., Juventúd Unida en la Diáspora, International League of People's Struggle - U.S. Call to Action: Justice for the Negros 19! Contact your congress members with info here: https://tinyurl.com/Negros19-Advocacy-Toolkit
4/29/2026 El movimiento contra la guerra en todo Estados Unidos condena enérgicamente la masacre de Toboso perpetrada por las Fuerzas Armadas de Filipinas, respaldadas por Estados Unidos, y se une a la lucha por la justicia para las víctimasRead Now AÑADE SU ORGANIZACIÓN AQUÍ: tinyurl.com/Antiwarnegros19
29 de abril de 2026 – Las organizaciones antiguerra de todo Estados Unidos condenan vehementemente y se unen a la lucha por la justicia para las víctimas de la masacre más reciente cometida por las Fuerzas Armadas de Filipinas (AFP), respaldadas por Estados Unidos, el 19 de abril. Lamentamos la pérdida de 19 personas hermosas, vibrantes y dedicadas, y damos la alarma por el desplazamiento forzado de más de 653 residentes de 168 hogares en comunidades campesinas de la región de Negros Occidental, en Filipinas. Entre los confirmados como asesinados se encuentran los queridos activistas filipino-estadounidenses Lyle Prijoles, de California, y Kai Sorem, del estado de Washington. Lyle y Kai son parte integral de nuestras luchas antiguerra aquí en Estados Unidos, el vientre de la bestia, y estamos indignados por su asesinato. El ataque ocurrió mientras más de 10,000 soldados estadounidenses están desplegados en Filipinas para los ejercicios de guerra Balikatan, y en el contexto de alianzas militares de larga data, ayuda militar y entrenamiento en contrainsurgencia que Estados Unidos proporciona a Filipinas. La creciente evidencia de que esto fue efectivamente una masacre de las AFP que viola el derecho internacional humanitario, utilizando artillería y aeronaves fabricadas y financiadas por Estados Unidos, no puede ser encubierta por las burdas mentiras de la última fuerza de contrainsurgencia en Filipinas: el Grupo de Trabajo Nacional para Poner Fin al Conflicto Armado Comunista Local (NTF-ELCAC). Expresamos nuestras más profundas condolencias a las familias y amigos de: 1. Roel Sabillo, 19 años, residente de Barangay Tabunac, Toboso 2. R.J. Nichole Ledesma, 30 años, periodista comunitario de Bacolod City 3. Alyssa Alano, concejal, Consejo Estudiantil de la UP Diliman 4. Maureen Keil Santuyo, 24 años, miembro de la Red Nacional de Defensores de la Reforma Agraria (NNARA-Youth) 5. Errol Wendel, 24 años, miembro del Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura 6. Jemina Gumadlas, 15 años, residente de Sitio Plarending, Barangay Salamanca, Toboso 7. Lyle Prijoles, 40 años, de la Coalición Internacional por los Derechos Humanos en Filipinas, de San Francisco, California (EE. UU.) 8. Kai Sorem, 26 años, de Seattle, Washington (EE. UU.) 9. Dexter Patajo, 17 años, Sitio Buklog, Barangay Lalong, Calatrava, Negros Occidental Según la información inicial que hemos recopilado, fueron asesinados a pesar de estar desarmados o ser no combatientes. Entre ellos hay un periodista, un líder estudiantil, organizadores campesinos, defensores de derechos humanos en el extranjero y residentes locales. Dos de las víctimas eran menores de edad. También honramos a los combatientes rojos del Nuevo Ejército del Pueblo que lucharon contra los fascistas hasta su último aliento. Ellos son: 1. Roger Fabillar (Ka Tapang), quien se desempeñó como comandante del NEP en el Frente Norte de Negros 2. Sonny Boy Caramihan, 28 años, de Barangay Bagonbon, San Carlos City 3. Rene Villarin Sr., 57 años, Barangay Marcelo, Calatrava, líder de escuadrón 4. Pedro Bonghanoy, oficial médico, Barangay Libertad, Escalante City 5. Arnel Javoc, 32 años, de Barangay Lalong, Calatrava 6. Joros Caramihan y Ramos, 18 años, de Don Salvador Benedicto 7. Maria Clarita Branzuel Blanco (Ka Sanim/Pat), Instructora Política 8. Genevieve Balora (Ka Raia), de Bacolod City, cuadro del Partido a nivel distrital 9. Labskie Purisimia Enustacion, 33 años, de Sitio Tinibawan, Barangay Bug-ang, Toboso 10. Jocel Gimang, 18 años, de Sitio Bautista, Barangay Malasibog, Escalante City La masacre de Toboso también es significativa porque es la primera vez en la historia del país que dos defensores de derechos humanos extranjeros han sido asesinados en una campaña de cerco y represión por parte del Ejército filipino y sus fuerzas paramilitares. Lyle Prijoles, de la Coalición Internacional por los Derechos Humanos en Filipinas (ICHRP), y Kai Sorem, de Anakbayan South Seattle, habían apoyado durante mucho tiempo la campaña en el Congreso de EE. UU. para reducir significativamente la ayuda militar a Filipinas debido a las ejecuciones extrajudiciales, las desapariciones forzadas y el desplazamiento masivo de comunidades rurales. Negros, junto con Samar y Bicol, fue declarado como lugar de "violencia sin ley" mediante el Decreto Circular N.º 32 (MC32) por el entonces presidente Rodrigo Duterte en 2018. El decreto se emitió tras varios asesinatos extrajudiciales de campesinos y activistas, incluidos los nueve miembros de la Federación Nacional de Trabajadores Azucareros masacrados en Sagay el 20 de octubre de 2018. Decenas han sido asesinados en la isla de Negros debido a operaciones conjuntas del ejército y la policía, siendo la masacre de los 9 de Sagay un claro ejemplo de la cultura de impunidad que pisotea el estado de derecho y las obligaciones de Filipinas bajo el derecho internacional humanitario. La masacre de los 19 de Toboso no es sino una repetición de la masacre de Escalante, el 20 de septiembre de 1985, en Escalante, Negros Occidental, donde fuerzas paramilitares del gobierno acribillaron a civiles que participaban en una manifestación en conmemoración del 13.º aniversario de la declaración de la ley marcial, durante los oscuros días de la dictadura fascista de Ferdinand Marcos Sr. No es casualidad que este masacre brutal ocurriera mientras los ejércitos de Estados Unidos y Filipinas realizan los ejercicios militares anuales multilaterales Balikatan ("Hombro con hombro"). Balikatan se lanzó en 2001, inicialmente justificado bajo la guerra global contra el terrorismo y centrado en operaciones de contrainsurgencia. Con el tiempo, Balikatan y docenas de otros ejercicios militares anuales entre EE. UU. y Filipinas evolucionaron hacia mecanismos de interoperabilidad, integración logística y posicionamiento estratégico. Desde sus inicios, los ejercicios Balikatan han fomentado numerosas violaciones de derechos humanos contra el pueblo filipino. Además de la masacre en Toboso, Negros, tres personas fueron asesinadas y dos resultaron heridas en una región cercana a los lugares de los ejercicios Balikatan en Zamboanga City, Mindanao, incluido un niño moro de 12 años, durante una operación conjunta de las Fuerzas Armadas de Filipinas (AFP) y la Policía Nacional de Filipinas (PNP) en la madrugada del 23 de abril de 2026. En diciembre de 2025, la Ley PERA de EE. UU. "Ley de Resiliencia Mejorada de Filipinas" se aprobó con apoyo bipartidista en la Ley de Autorización de Defensa Nacional del Congreso, otorgando "$2.5 mil millones en asistencia de seguridad estadounidense" a Filipinas para "profundizar la cooperación en defensa entre EE. UU. y Filipinas y fortalecer las capacidades de defensa y la interoperabilidad de la Alianza EE. UU.-Filipinas para hacer frente a las crecientes amenazas en el Indo-Pacífico". Esto ha incorporado la doctrina estadounidense, las estructuras de mando y la dependencia operativa en las Fuerzas Armadas de Filipinas, que están utilizando este manual para matar a las masas campesinas que luchan por su tierra y su sustento, y a aquellos que eligen luchar junto a ellas. Este tipo de financiamiento, entrenamiento y apoyo militar de EE. UU. a las AFP demuestra la culpabilidad directa del ejército y el gobierno estadounidenses en los crímenes de guerra y la violencia cometidos en estas masacres. Mientras el genocidio continúa en Gaza, las violaciones del alto el fuego persisten en Líbano y la guerra híbrida contra Irán continúa en Asia Occidental, las fuerzas sionistas de Israel también son cómplices de la masacre en Filipinas. Los registros públicos muestran que empresas de defensa israelíes han suministrado a Filipinas drones, sistemas de radar, patrulleras y miles de fusiles de asalto utilizados por unidades policiales y militares. Estas asociaciones refuerzan enfoques de seguridad centrados en la vigilancia, la neutralización rápida de objetivos y el compromiso de tipo combate. Estos incidentes apuntan a un patrón de redadas basadas en inteligencia realizadas en áreas civiles bajo el marco del "contraterrorismo", difuminando la línea entre la aplicación de la ley y el combate. Estados Unidos ha dirigido, realizado o respaldado masacres similares bajo las llamadas operaciones de ataque con lanchas "contra el narcoterrorismo" en el Caribe y el Pacífico contra individuos venezolanos, colombianos y trinitenses, así como los asesinatos en los bombardeos de campesinos en Esmeraldas, Ecuador, y el asesinato de cinco jóvenes en Colcabamba, Perú esta semana por parte del ejército peruano bajo las llamadas operaciones militares "antitrATA". El movimiento antiguerra debe unirse a la lucha contra la ayuda militar, los ejercicios y las operaciones respaldadas por el ejército estadounidense que no solo están preparando a los ejércitos nacionales de las neocolonias estadounidenses para futuras guerras, sino que ya están envalentonando a fuerzas fascistas para que sean utilizadas por el gobierno títere de Estados Unidos contra su propio pueblo. Nos unimos a los llamados de nuestros camaradas en el movimiento democrático nacional de Filipinas por justicia para los 19 de Negros en Toboso y para las víctimas de la masacre en Zamboanga City. Exigimos una investigación inmediata e independiente sobre el ataque de las AFP del 19 de abril y sobre la financiación y el apoyo de Estados Unidos a la brutal y fascista administración de Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Y honramos a aquellos que sirvieron al pueblo hasta su último aliento. Firmado: Resist U.S.-Led War Movement, United National Antiwar Coalition, Antiwar Action Network, Anti-Imperialist Scholars Collective, Diaspora Pa'lante Collective, Labor for Palestine, Prutehi Guahan, Black Alliance for Peace, Palestinian Youth Movement, Workers World Party, International Action Center, International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines - U.S., Juventúd Unida por la Independencia, International League of People's Struggle - U.S. Llamado a la acción: ¡Justicia para los 19 de Negros! Contacta a tus congresistas con la información aquí: https://tinyurl.com/Negros19-Advocacy-Toolkit
4/24/2026 Justice for all the victims of the Toboso massacre! Fight against the fascist Armed Forces of the Philippines and the U.S. imperialist military that trains, arms and funds them!Read Now  The Resist U.S.-led War Movement issues the strongest possible condemnation of the fascist and U.S. war agenda being imposed upon the Filipino people. The U.S. Marcos regime is dragging the nation closer to war through escalated war games and heightening counterinsurgency warfare.
We urgently condemn the military operations conducted by the 79th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army in Brgy. Salamanca, Toboso, Negros Occidental, on April 19. These operations killed 19 individuals including NPA fighters and civilians including journalists, peasant organizers and cultural workers and forcibly displaced more than 653 residents from 168 households. Already the Filipino people in the Philippines and around the world are decrying this war crime and are raising up the names of caring and courageous individuals who were there, side by side, with the rural peasants of Negros struggling in defense of their land including Alysa Alano, Roger “Ka Jhong” Fabillar, RJ Nichole Ledesma, Lyle Prijolesand Roel Sabillo. All anti-war activists can and should raise the call for justice for the victims of the Toboso massacre and all victims of the counterinsurgency terror and Balikatan war exercises in the Philippines! This massacre occurred amid the Balikatan exercises, and was fueled by millions of dollars of direct U.S. military aid and weapons with repression tactics by the U.S. trained repression and counterinsurgency forces: The Armed Forces of the Philippines and the National Task Force to End local Communist Armed Conflict. As mentioned by Bayan international Liaison Officer, Sarah Raymundo, on our latest Counter-Attack episode, ”Initially justified under the global war on terror, these exercises concentrated on counterinsurgency operations, particularly in Mindanao. Over time, Balikatan and Salaknib evolved into mechanisms for interoperability, logistics integration, and strategic positioning. This has embedded U.S. doctrine, command structures, and operational dependence into the Armed Forces of the Philippines. What is misleading about these exercises is that they are often presented in civil and humanitarian terms, such as disaster response and community support. However, according to reports from rural communities, these activities overlap with combat and counterinsurgency capabilities." The U.S.-backed AFP is ramping up brutal counterinsurgency operations against peasants and those fighting back against land grabbing and state terror. The brutality of the recent massacre in Negros is a direct consequence of the same aggressive U.S. war policy that underpins the massive war games occuring now across the country. According to KARAPATAN secretary general Cristina Palabay, “We are deeply concerned for the safety and well-being of the residents, especially reports of intimidation and harassment by the military in communities that have long been affected by the state operation are not new.” What happened in Negros was not an isolated incident but a clear reflection of systemic militarization and state violence. “As this expands in rural areas, the existence of both the logic of control and suppression in urban communities is also noteworthy.” The yearly Balikatan exercises, along with more than 500 other U.S.-directed war games, have done nothing to “protect” the Philippines territorial sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea, instead the U.S. has ramped up military agreements, troop stationing and active support for the AFP counterinsurgency, amounting to a U.S. military occupation of the country through partnering with its corrupt puppet leader Bong Bong Marcos Jr. These war games and U.S. presence transform the Philippines into a prime target should the U.S. and China go to war. This danger becomes even bigger as the U.S. pushes to build an ammunition factory, a plane and ship refueling hub, and an “Economic Security Zone” for microchip production facilities including the recently signed Pax Silica initiative, which sells out land and resources to foreign war production efforts. The national democratic struggle in the Philippines remains the main deterrent to complete U.S. domination and the main obstacle to the plans of the U.S. to use the Filipino people as cannon fodder in an imperialist war of aggression. The Filipino people will continue to resist and fight for national liberation in the face of escalating U.S. war. The Resist U.S.-led war movement calls for an immediate end to the Balikatan exercises, which serve as a pretext for U.S. military intervention, violate Philippine sovereignty, and exacerbate human rights violations. All countries that claim to value human rights and peace must immediately withdraw participation. We also echo the demand for an immediate and independent investigation into the AFP’s April 19th to 20th attack, in what can only be called a massacre. We also demand that families, as well as their lawyers and human rights advocates, be given full access to their loved ones’ remains without any threat, interrogation, harm, or intimidation. No to U.S. war drills! Cancel Balikatan! End the counterinsurgency terror! Justice for the Negros 19! 4/8/2026 A desperate U.S. and Israel resort to massacres immediately violating ceasefire as Iran crushes U.S. war objectivesRead Now The peace movement must continue building solidarity with Iran and the regional resistance, taking to the streets to call for the end of the U.S.-Israel war on Iran.
Not even 24 hours after the announcement of a ceasefire between Iran and U.S.-Israel, the latter has violated several points on the agreement, notably the continuation of the aggression against Lebanon and the entry of Zionist drones in Iranian airspace. These continued violations only prove how desperate the US is in the face of an enemy it cannot defeat. It became clear to the Trump regime that it is unable to topple the Islamic Republic, which enjoys mass support in Iran, and which found ways to hurt the US not only militarily, through the targeting of U.S. bases and assets in the region, but also economically, by taking control of the Strait of Hormuz and targeting key oil infrastructure of U.S. allies in the Gulf. The human cost of this U.S.-Israeli war of aggression, with the support of the Gulf monarchies, has been staggering. As of April 7th, 3,636 people have been killed in Iran since the war started on February 28, with at least 254 children among the dead. The U.S. and Israel deliberately targeted hospitals and other medical facilities, schools, including the targeting of a girls' school in Minab that killed over 170 children in a single strike, and energy facilities, which led to widespread fires and toxic air in major cities like Tehran, a metropolis of over 10 million people. In Lebanon alone, Israeli strikes have killed 1,530 people since March 2, including at least 129 children, while more than 400 Hezbollah fighters have also fallen. In Iraq, at least 117 people have been killed. As the U.S. grows more isolated, with its allies in Europe and Asia refusing to help it militarily in this war of choice, Iran is able to impose its demands on the imperialist beast that underestimated its military capability and strategic thinking. Instead of ceding to the sovereignty of Iran, the U.S. and Israel choose instead to pursue a path of military destruction and massacres. But all the military might of the U.S. has proven to be ineffective in defeating the steadfastness of the people who continue to bravely give their lives to defend their land and nation. If the ceasefire with the U.S. announced by Iran on April 7th stands, it constitutes a strategic victory for Iran. This victory should open the way for negotiations on a permanent agreement to be held in Islamabad, based on a ten point framework proposed by Tehran. The truce, confirmed by Iranian authorities, includes initial commitments such as non-aggression guarantees, continued negotiations on the immediate and unconditional lifting of all illegal sanctions against Iran, and the full expulsion of U.S. military forces from the region. The actual implementation would represent a historical defeat to the imperialist project of domination in West Asia. Nevertheless, after a month and two weeks of war, Iran and the resistance forces in Iraq and Lebanon have emerged from the conflict showing once again that despite decades of hybrid warfare, economic sanctions, and media smears against the Islamic Republic, it has been able to develop indigenous technology able to resist imperialist war and win against it. Built by the masses of Iranians, these defense systems have transformed the country into a formidable threat to imperialist hegemony, capable of downing and combating even the so called "invincible" F-35s. The same people who built these systems formed human chains on bridges and outside power plants this week to defend their nation from Trump's threats to "wipe out an entire civilization." In the face of genocidal rhetoric and military onslaught, the Iranian masses stood firm, proving that no advanced weapons system or economic blockade can break a people united in resistance. The ten points proposed by Iran, which will form the basis of the negotiations, prove that Iran gained the upper hand against the self proclaimed "most lethal and technological military in the world." As Trump scrambled to find an exit from a war he could not win, and as his attempts at regime change through decapitation of Iranian leadership resulted in the masses of people rallying around the Iranian flag, Iran emerged from the conflict with de facto control of the Strait of Hormuz and is now using that control to collect fees in Yuans from vessels that wish to use this maritime route, in order to finance reconstruction from war damages. The demands to which the U.S. has agreed as a framework for negotiations are further proof of Washington's defeat, as they include several provisions the U.S. has historically refused to even consider. The ten point plan includes:
These just demands see Iran continuing its legacy of support to the Palestinian and Lebanese people by demanding that Lebanon is included in the ceasefire and also the lifting of brutal sanctions imposed on Iran since the 1970s. These measures were not based on credible threats but rather false claims of nuclear weapons production and also as punishment for Iran’s fight against US domination and support for national liberation movements in West Asia such as in Palestine, Lebanon, and Yemen. Despite Donald Trump calling the ten point agreement "a workable basis on which to negotiate," and despite the Pakistani defense minister, who helped broker the deal, stating that Lebanon would be included in the ceasefire, the White House and the Zionist entity have since backtracked on their own affirmations. U.S. officials have asserted that "the points do not match what Mr. Trump was referring to" and that "Lebanon is not part of the ceasefire." This position directly contradicts what all other parties involved have stated, with the sole exception of Israel, which reportedly begged Trump to remove Lebanon from the ceasefire at the last minute. Just hours after the U.S. Israeli war on Iran's ceasefire was announced, Israeli forces launched strikes on several densely populated commercial and residential areas in central Beirut without warning, killing hundreds of people and wounding more than 1,000 others. This blatant act of terror and violation of the very ceasefire the U.S. claimed to support proves once again that the U.S. war machine and its lackeys, like Israel, are the main obstacles to genuine peace in the world. War will exist as long as imperialism exists, and the resistance forces in West Asia continue to pose the greatest challenge to this economic system led by the U.S., a system that supports the existence of the settler colonial and genocidal entity of Israel. It is the duty of the peace loving people of the world to rally in support of this people's resistance, the line standing against full U.S. domination in the region. The Resist U.S.-Led War Movement calls on its members and allies to target the war profiteers enabling these genocides and wars against the people of West Asia and the world, like Boeing, Northrup Grumman, Lockheed Martin, PALANTIR, Bell and RTX or multinational mining and tech companies that build the systems and provide the natural resources. Protest U.S. and Zionist embassies, take to the streets, shut down U.S. military bases and blockade arms shipments to Israel and the Gulf monarchies. The people will not rest until every imperialist force is driven out of West Asia and the world. |