From Gaza to Iran: How Empire Manufactures War

Jun 18, 2025

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As Israel bombs Iran, and the threat of U.S. military escalation grows by the hour, the world’s attention is being pulled into yet another war that Israel started and the West manufactured. After flattening Gaza and locking down the West Bank Israel has now dragged Iran into open confrontation — and is calling on the U.S. to finish the job.

Meanwhile, Trump is back in the headlines, promising not a ceasefire but a “real end” to Iran’s nuclear program — even hinting at direct U.S. strikes. But what’s really happening here? What does this moment mean for the people of Iran, the Iranian diaspora, for Palestinians, and for all of us fighting the empire from the belly of the beast?

Today we’re joined by Hoda Katebi, an Iranian-American abolitionist organizer, writer, and educator whose voice cuts through the fog of war. Hoda’s work spans garment worker co-ops, anti-surveillance campaigns, radical book clubs, and mutual aid bailouts.

She’s been featured in Vogue, cited in law journals, and published in Newsweek and Washington Post — all while helping build a movement rooted in dignity and decolonization. In this conversation, Hoda helps us unpack the current moment - from the media lies, colonial playbooks, and the very real dangers Iranians — and Palestinians — are facing right now. And she reminds us that the time to act isn’t later. It’s right now.

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