Demonstrators organized within hours of news of U.S. and Israeli military strikes in Iran, including the killing of the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Protesters gathered outside Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson to speak out against U.S. and Israeli military actions in Iran, raising questions about the cost of foreign military engagement and its impact on Americans at home.
Maria Sohn Hasman, an organizer with the Tucson Anti-War Committee, said the government's focus on military action abroad comes at the expense of people struggling domestically.
"We live here, we work here, we shop here, and we can't afford groceries and we're struggling to pay rent, and we don't have money for housing," Hasman said.
Hasman said she finds it exhausting to watch the U.S. engage militarily in another country and questioned whether the actions would benefit anyone involved.
"There is no world in which sanctions, embargoes, attempted coups, or missile strikes make a nation stronger and give them the chance to determine their future," Hasman said.
Firoz Azizi, an organizer with the Party for Socialism and Liberation, echoed those concerns, arguing that military spending comes at a direct cost to people in need.
"In this country, we spend trillions of dollars on war. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of people, millions of people go hungry," Azizi said.
Azizi said as an Afghan man, the violence towards others in the Middle East also carries a personal weight.
"My parents and I are products of the destabilization that the United States government has done abroad in the entire world," Azizi said.
Not everyone at the demonstration shared the same perspective. David Najari, who grew up in Iran and lived there around the time of Khamenei's regime, said he remembers the oppression of that era.
"That was horrible. That was an evil time. Iranians could not voice their slightest differences from the government," Najari said.
Najari said the death of the supreme leader could open the door to lasting democratic change in Iran.
"I tell you what I want: the future of Iran to be validated, to be determined at the ballot box," Najari said.
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JJ McKinney joined KGUN 9 in July of 2025 as a multimedia journalist. He graduated from Colorado State University in May of 2025 with a degree in journalism and media communications and a minor in law. With a background in investigative reporting and documentary filmmaking, JJ is dedicated to giving a platform to the voices of his community. Share your story ideas and important issues with JJ by emailing jj.mckinney@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.
