June 18, 2025 (EIRNS)—We are now approaching one week since June 13, the day Israel launched its attack on Iran. The aerial crossfire continues back and forth between two nations, a situation awaiting powerful intervention to stop it, by international joint diplomatic effort, whose proposals and willingness from key nations—China and Russia, and others—have been expressed. All is not lost. The role of true citizens from every nation is critical, to activate to create the conditions for this positive turn to happen.
This approach will be on the agenda Friday, June 20 at the weekly meeting, the 107th rendezvous of the International Peace Coalition. Last week, in the very first hours of the Israeli attack, specifics were put forward against it, for example, the concept of key nations forming a consortium to work with Iran for safe, civilian nuclear power development—the right of every nation. This and other proposals are summarized in the emergency statement issued by the Schiller Institute, headlined, “It Is Not Too Late To Avoid a ‘Doomsday Scenario’ in the Middle East,” now circulating internationally. This Friday’s IPC roster includes a briefing by an Egyptian expert on the outlines of Cairo’s March proposal for reconstruction in Gaza, and the LaRouche Oasis Plan, for the entire region stretching from the Maghreb across Iran through to the west Indian desert.
This Schiller Institute statement was circulated at a street demonstration in front of the White House this evening in Washington, at one of the dozens of rallies that have been spot-organized in recent days at some 50 U.S. cities. In New York City today, the Schiller Institute held a demonstration near the United Nations, to the effect of reaching worldwide through foreign mission staff.
The death and dislocation across Iran mounts, at the same time as the unspeakable suffering continues in Gaza. Foreign nationals are being evacuated by many countries, from the nations across the entire region, from Türkiye through to Egypt. The U.S. embassy in Israel is now shut down for the week. More U.S. force is being moved into the region. A report is out that the U.S. Navy’s newest and largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, is to be deployed to the Mediterranean, which will mean three U.S. carrier groups stationed in the region.
President Donald Trump, who today held the second National Security Council/Situation Room briefing in a row at the White House, continues to reiterate his stance of militant prevarication, telling reporters this morning, who asked what he will decide about deploying U.S. forces against Iran either directly or through Israel. His two public options are 1) receive “unconditional surrender” by Iran; or 2) bomb the Fordow and other nuclear infrastructure targets.
These are two classic British geopolitical constructs of “options,” which actually barely mask the regime-change intent of the Trump British policy right now. They are both associated with the core lie that Iran has a nuclear bomb, or will have one, imminently. Regarding that, the big admission came out today from the IAEA Director Raphael Grossi, that Iran does not have such a bomb, and has no means for one soon!
It is notable, on the British imperial mode of crafting lies, narratives, and jargon, that this week, Russian strategic expert Elena Panina covered the EIR weekly magazine’s warning about the British imperial pedigree in today’s conflict situations run in the editorial by Dennis Small. Panina wrote on her Telegram account, that Small, “back in April, warned that a ‘decapitating’ strike on Iran would be a British trap for Trump. The strike did take place, albeit not by the hands of the U.S.—but now, according to the plans of its architects, Trump must involved the American army in the adventure, which is suicidal for his political future.”
U.S. Congressmen are joining some of the other voices on the world stage, denouncing the U.S. war-making policy option, aligning with the majority of their constituents who voted for Trump, to stop wars and build the economy instead. In recent hours, for example, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) called for backing off from any attack on Iran. Sen. Tim Burchett (R-TN) said, the U.S. should not attack Iran. Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT) said the U.S. must stop backing Netanyahu and the regime-change policy for Iran. The U.S. should be having talks with Iran, not having warfare.
Next week, a closed-door briefing is to come from the White House to the Senate, on what options the U.S. has for Iran-Israel. This was scheduled at the request of New York’s U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D), who, however, is among a few soft-sell warmongers, wanting to be sure that the U.S. bunker-buster bombs will work, to devastate Iran, and defend whatever madman Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to do.
A stern warning today came from Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, who said: “We warn Washington against even speculative, theoretical options of direct military assistance to Israel. Such a step would radically destabilize the entire situation.” Ryabkov spoke on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), which opened today, with 20,000 attendees, representing 170 countries. He said to Interfax, that Russia and the United States are in contact regarding the Israel-Iran conflict.
Helga Zepp-LaRouche, Schiller Institute founder and initiator of the International Peace Coalition, today answered questions on the strategic crisis, in her weekly Schiller Institute webcast. She pointed out how Americans now are undergoing a deep “loss of trust” in their government, given that their elected President has veered into the British mode, and she called on the American people, and people everywhere, to spread the peace movement and do everything to change policy. “The IPC is the must place for anybody who wants to have, every week, the judgment and expertise of people who are really speaking the truth; who have development, through their life’s work, an insight which you never will get from the mainstream media, at least not these days … [to] be part of a movement that is trying to stop what could be the end of civilization—namely World War III….”
On July 12-13 in Berlin, the Schiller Institute will host an international conference, hybrid, online and in person, with the title: “‘Man Is Not a Wolf to Man’ For a New Paradigm in International Relations!”
