WASHINGTON – Hundreds of anti-war demonstrators gathered outside the White House on June 18, calling for an end to the escalating conflict in the Middle East and urging President Donald Trump to prevent deeper US involvement in Israel’s military actions.
The rally, organised by the ANSWER Coalition, drew a crowd waving Palestinian and Iranian flags, donning keffiyehs, and holding signs that read: “No New War in the Middle East” and “Stop US Weapons to Israel.”
Protesters demanded an immediate halt to US arms shipments to Israel, chanting in favour of a “people’s arms embargo.” The demonstration came amid rising tensions, following Israeli strikes on Iranian territory and Iran’s retaliatory missile attacks.
A brief moment of tension erupted when a small group waving Israeli flags arrived at the scene. Protesters chanted anti-Zionist slogans, prompting police intervention. Officers formed a bicycle barricade to separate the groups, and a minor confrontation was reported when one protester refused to disperse.
Despite heavy rainfall, the protest remained peaceful and emotionally charged, with demonstrators denouncing Israeli military operations across Palestine, Iran, Lebanon, and Yemen, and demanding an end to civilian casualties.
The protest coincided with revelations that Israeli strikes targeted Iran’s Natanz nuclear enrichment facility, causing damage to underground centrifuge halls, according to the IAEA. Iran, in turn, accused Israel of striking residential areas, and launched 400 missiles and drones, including its Fattah-1 missile, at Israeli cities.
President Trump remarked that Iran had reached out for negotiations but added,
“It’s very late to be talking.”
Similar protests were held in New York, Philadelphia, and Orlando, with marches expected to continue nationwide through June 21.
