Hundreds Rally in San Francisco Against U.S.-Israel Strikes on Iran

Protesters gathered Saturday outside the federal building in San Francisco to denounce U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, rallying less than a day after the military action was announced.

From the plaza, demonstrators marched into downtown streets, chanting against war and calling for an end to U.S. involvement in the region. Signs criticized military spending and condemned both major political parties, with some participants voicing opposition to immigration enforcement and others carrying anti-war slogans.

The protest came amid heightened tensions between the United States and Iran. President Donald Trump said Saturday that the latest strikes had killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the nation’s supreme leader for nearly 37 years and a long‑time foe of both Israel and the United States — a development that could trigger a major political and regional shift.

Yasmine Mortazavi, an Iranian American and member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, said she learned of the strikes after waking up Saturday morning.

“I’m still in a bit of shock,” she told KQED. “I’m not surprised. This is what I would expect from a U.S.-Israeli action like this.”

Mortazavi said her immediate family members were recently in Iran and that she has extended family there as well. She has not heard from her immediate family since the strikes but said friends are evacuating.

She acknowledged that Iranian Americans hold a range of political views, including some who support U.S. intervention, but said she believes the future of Iran should be determined by its people.

“The Iranian people in Iran can decide the future of their country,” she said. “War, I don’t think, is going to help.”

Speaking to the crowd, Mortazavi challenged what she described as a narrative that Iranians broadly support U.S. and Israeli military action.

“They want you to believe that every Iranian … is cheering on the United States and Israel,” she said. “That is unequivocally false.”

She urged attendees to continue organizing beyond the rally and announced plans for additional demonstrations.

Dina Saadeh, an organizer with the Palestinian Youth Movement, said multiple groups mobilized quickly in response to the strikes.

“I’m angered today,” Saadeh told KQED. “People here don’t want to see our country engaged in more endless war.”

Saadeh described the protest as part of a broader effort to oppose sanctions, military escalation and what she called U.S. imperialism. She said participants were calling on elected officials to redirect public funds toward domestic needs.

“People want money for jobs and education, not for war and occupation,” she said.

KQED’s María Fernanda Bernal contributed to this story.