Exclusive Interview with Dr. Seyed Mohammad Marandi: Iran- Imposed War and What Comes Next
NEW INTERVIEW | CAPJ team members Dr. Atiqa Batul and Mehlaqa Samdani sat down with Dr. Seyed Mohammad Marandi, professor at the University of Tehran and one of Iran's most prominent and renowned foreign policy voices, for a wide-ranging conversation on the war imposed on Iran, the ongoing negotiations, and what comes next. A must watch interview.
Interview recorded: May 21st, 10:15am (EST)
My colleague, Dr. Atiqa Batul, and I sat down with Dr. Seyed Mohammad Marandi, professor at the University of Tehran and one of Iran's most prominent and renowned foreign policy voices, for a wide-ranging conversation on the war imposed on Iran, the ongoing negotiations, and what comes next.
A must-watch for anyone seeking to understand this conflict beyond Western headlines.
Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zq64sOY32EM
Interview recorded: May 21st, 10:15am (EST)
News: Attack at the Islamic Center of San Diego
Anti-Muslim sentiment in the United States has increased dramatically over the past few years. Equality Labs released a study which “identified more than 4.72 million Islamophobic posts targeting Muslim communities nationwide, generating 34.8 million total engagements…across 12 social media platforms.”
The Islamic Center of San Diego was attacked on May 18, leaving five people dead, three adult victims and two teenage suspects, who died of self-inflicted wounds. At this point, the FBI is currently investigating the attack as a hate crime. While details are still emerging, a few things are clear:
Anti-Muslim sentiment in the United States has increased dramatically over the past few years. Equality Labs released a study which “identified more than 4.72 million Islamophobic posts targeting Muslim communities nationwide, generating 34.8 million total engagements…across 12 social media platforms.” This anti-Muslim rhetoric takes place within an ecosystem of hate and bigotry normalized at the highest levels of government. President Donald Trump has repeatedly made dehumanizing remarks about Muslim communities, referring to Somali Americans as "garbage," and deeming Muslim immigrants as threats to national security.
Congressional representatives like @RepFine, @RepOgles, @RepKeithSelf, and @SenTTuberville have openly posted and amplified reprehensible and inflammatory anti-Muslim rhetoric. A Washington Post analysis found that since the start of 2025, nearly 100 Republican members of Congress have posted negatively about Muslims/Islam on social media. Their vile statements are then amplified by hate-mongering influencers like @LauraLoomer, Valentina Gomez, and others.
The political climate in the United States-where anti-Muslim hate is perpetuated at the structural and societal levels with impunity-cannot be separated from what happened in San Diego on May 18.
Read more here: https://www.sandiego.gov/activeshooter
CAPJ Statement on Israel’s Death Penalty Law
Community Alliance for Peace and Justice strongly condemns Israel’s racist death penalty law whereby Plaestinians can be hanged within 90 days of convinction in military courts with a 99.74% conviction rate. No pardon. No equivalent penalty for Israelis, while Israeli settlers kill Palestinians with impunity, and Israeli soldiers kill Palestinians for sport.
Israel passed a racist death penalty law: Plaestinians can be hanged within 90 days of convinction in military courts with a 99.74% conviction rate. No pardon. No equivalent penalty for Israelis, while Israeli settlers kill Palestinians with impunity, and Israeli soldiers kill Palestinians for sport.
CAPJ demands the immediate repeal of this barbaric apartheid law, and an end to all U.S. military funding that enables it.
CAPJ Statement on U.S.-Israeli Attack on Iran
Community Alliance for Peace and Justice strongly condemns the joint U.S. - Israeli attack on Iran carried out amid negotiations between Washington and Tehran. These strikes took place at a moment when Oman’s Foreign Minister had publicly noted that “important, significant, and unprecedented progress” had been achieved in the nuclear talks, making the decision to launch military action all the more reckless and destabilizing.
Community Alliance for Peace and Justice strongly condemns the joint U.S. - Israeli attack on Iran carried out amid negotiations between Washington and Tehran. These strikes took place at a moment when Oman’s Foreign Minister had publicly noted that “important, significant, and unprecedented progress” had been achieved in the nuclear talks, making the decision to launch military action all the more reckless and destabilizing.
The United States has once again engaged in acts of war without congressional authorization or meaningful public debate. According to a Quinnipiac poll conducted in January, 70% of Americans opposed U.S. military action against Iran. American taxpayers do not want their hard- earned money financing illegal wars. This unlawful use of military force against a country that posed no imminent threat to the United States has endangered the lives of countless innocent people across the region and beyond.
These acts of aggression by the U.S. and Israel constitute a blatant violation of international law and set a dangerous precedent: undermining diplomatic processes, eroding global norms, and increasing the risk of wider regional and international conflict.