LA Progressive:

Elahe Amani

On what seemed like another Saturday morning in Iran—when people were at work, students were in school, and daily life was unfolding —the country was suddenly thrust into yet another crisis. A massive military strike, followed by an address from President Trump announcing major combat operations, ignited a full-scale confrontation involving Iran, Israel, and the United States.

In the midst of uprising of Iranian people and just one day after the historic January 2026 massacre carried out by the Islamic Republic of Iran, President Trump declared that “help is on its way” to the Iranian people, framing the large-scale military attack as the fulfillment of his promise. A series of diplomatic talks facilitated by Oman had preceded these events, ultimately culminating on February 28 in the resort to military force rather than diplomacy.

The massive strike took place just two days after the third round of talks mediated by Oman’s foreign minister. Some analysts had described these negotiations over the past year as “unconventional,” reflecting both their informal structure and the fragile diplomatic moment in which they unfolded and called “diplomacy without diplomats” Referring to Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to conduct high-stakes and sensitive negotiations with Iran.

The current situation facing the Iranian people can best be understood as a society caught within what scholars often describe as a “dual violence structure.” On one side lies internal authoritarian violence — executions, imprisonment, systemic gender discrimination, the brutal suppression of protests, and the steady suffocation of civil society. On the other side are mounting external pressures and threats — crippling sanctions, escalating geopolitical confrontation, and now the devastating realities of an all-out war.

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