“My people are dying. My people are being murdered right now,” said Miy Javid Shah.

The California resident who was born in Iran is hopeful the current conflict will be for the benefit of Iran long term.  

At the direction of President Donald Trump, U.S. forces commenced ‘Operation Epic Fury’ alongside Israeli forces against Iran on Feb. 28. This military operation was committed with the stated intention of dismantling Iran’s military force, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), according to a press release from the U.S. Central Command, a division of the Department of Defense.

IRGC forces have responded in retaliation to the initial attacks, according to Associated Press.

“I don’t think that Israel or America are good, but they are the ones that can turn over the Iranian regime,” said Shah. “To me, this is not a war. This is a rescue mission. This is the peace operation. If they get the head of the terrorist, we’re going to have peace in Iran, we’re going to have peace in the Middle East.”

President Trump’s Operation Epic Fury was responsible for killing the leader of Iran, Ayatollah (supreme leader) Ali Khamenei, on March 1, one day after the conflict began, according to a press release by the White House. Ayatollah Khamenei served as leader from Iran from 1989 until his recent assassination. 

As of March 26, the death toll of this conflict has reached a reported 1,937 Iranians with 24,800 injured, 19 Israelis, and 13 U.S. soldiers that have been killed due to this conflict. 1,094 Lebanese deaths have been recorded due to Israeli strikes in Beirut, Lebanon. Additionally, approximately 100 deaths have been recorded via Iranian strikes on U.S. military bases throughout the Persian Gulf countries, according to Al Jazeera.

Shah and approximately 200 others gathered for a rally on March 7 supporting U.S.-Israeli involvement in the Iranian conflict during a protest in downtown San Francisco, according to The San Francisco Standard. Amidst this pro-Trump rally, protests were simultaneously occurring throughout San Francisco to oppose Trump’s ‘Operation Epic Fury’, according to ABC7 San Francisco.

Like any war or military conflict, people have varying views. The current conflict in Iran is no different. 

American public opinion has been split between support and opposition of President Trump’s decision to launch Operation Epic Fury. Approximately 47-50% of Americans support the operation, according to multiple polls reported by Associated Press.

“The U.S. military presence in the Middle East is only necessary if you believe that the United States must be the guarantor of the free flow of oil at market prices,” said history professor Vincent Gaddis. “In the Middle East, there was no real enemy. The question was about the exploitation of resources.”

Gaddis spoke in reference to the historical context of U.S. military bases being established in the Middle East and Western Asia regions. 

Current oil prices continue to surge due to the significant global consumption of crude oil passing through the Strait of Hormuz, a passage controlled by and directly adjacent to Iran. The increase in price has reflected in a 33% increase in national average consumer gas prices from the start of the conflict on Feb. 28 to March 20, according to AAA. 

For reference, the Strait of Hormuz is considered one of the world’s most important oil chokepoints with roughly 20% of global crude oil consumption passing through it, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (USEIA). 

“We’re using taxpayer dollars for something that’s not benefiting [Americans] in the slightest.” said ECC student Ammaar Shaikh. “If you go to the local gas station, prices are already going up. Our involvement in this war is the reason.”

An additional criticism of this conflict is the humanitarian concern for innocent civilians. There have been claims of U.S. responsibility for strikes purely against civilians, such as the bombing of a children’s school in Tehran, Iran’s capital, according to reports by Amnesty International and Reuters. 

“It is unwarranted, unjustified, illegal, and given the information that is coming out on the bombing of the girls’ school in Tehran, a war crime,” said Gaddis. “We’re not there for democracy, human rights, or to protect girls and women. We’re there to protect oil.”

While those critical of this conflict have labeled the U.S. involvement a participation in a war, no official declaration of war has been given.

“The War Powers Act has been completely ignored,” said Gaddis. “Congress has given up the ability to constrain this president, when the Act was designed to do just that.”  

The War Powers Act is a federal law intended to check the president’s power to enact armed conflict without first acquiring congressional consent, according to the U.S. Congressional legislature passed in 1973. The law requires the president to notify Congress within 48 hours of deploying any troops into hostile territories and limits the level of engagement allowed for the first 60-90 days without congressional approval.

Five days into the current conflict, the U.S. Senate voted against the removal of U.S. armed forces. The hostilities of the U.S. armed forces’ involvement in Iran was acknowledged to have not been authorized by Congress in a 53-47 vote against instituting congressional authority on March 4, according to the U.S. Senate measure S.J.Res. 104.

In anticipation for escalation, the potential for U.S. soldiers to be deployed has not yet been ruled out by President Trump, according to a quote given to the New York Post. 

“In the worst-case scenario, democracy is suspended.” said Gaddis.  “I think it affects U.S. citizens negatively the longer this goes on and if we introduce ground troops into Iran, you’re going to waste a generation.”

The public opinion on this conflict will continue to be on display.

“You can’t wage war if you don’t have any money to do it.” said Gaddis. “Cut the funding. Reign in the executive. Dare I say, impeach and remove the secretary of Defense, the DNI, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the attorney General, the director of the FBI, and the President.”

“We American people have to use our right to protest,” said Shaikh. “We have to use our right to vote. Midterms are coming up. We need to start questioning what is best for the American people.” 

*Shantel Lewis contributed to this report.