GRAND RAPIDS – “When Iran is under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!” rang out loud alongside the pounding rain on Rosa Parks Circle in downtown Grand Rapids Wednesday evening.

Despite the heavy rain that poured throughout the evening, at least 30 demonstrators among community members and activist groups rallied in an intersection next to the Rosa Parks statue, protesting in solidarity with Iran and urging the Trump administration not to help Israel in military action against Iran.

The “No War on Iran rally” was organized by antiwar organizations such as Palestine Solidarity Grand Rapids and the Antiwar Action Network as part of weekly actions against the genocide in Palestine.

“This weekly rally has been called an emergency rally for Iran, Hands off Iran,” said Jessica Plitcha, 22, a member of Palestine Solidarity GR. “We want Israel, backed by the U.S., to stop bombing Iran. And we want the end of all Israeli aggression in the region.”

Just in front of them, three pro-Israel counter-demonstrators stood silently, holding signs and flags.

“We are both pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian,” said Caeleb Abraham, 36, while holding a sign saying “Bring them home now.” “We want Hamas out because in all of the 20 years that they’ve been in power, they have done nothing to help Palestinians.”

Rallies like this one in Michigan have not been the only ones so far. Across the country, there have been some demonstrations in major cities in support of Iran and opposition to U.S. involvement in another war in the Middle East.

They emerged in response to the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict escalation, as waves of aerial attacks between the two countries have continued to strike major cities and military bases since June 13, when Israel first launched airstrikes on Iranian nuclear and military facilities, killing high range generals and nuclear scientists in an operation dubbed “Operation Rising Lion”, alleging that Iran possessed a high capacity to develop nuclear weapons.

The death toll and number of injured on both sides keep rising. According to various media outlets, between 500 and 639 people, including 263 civilians, have been killed in Iran, with more than 1,000 injured. Meanwhile, Israel has reported 24 deaths and hundreds injured.

“We condemn the bombing by apartheid Israel on Iran,” said Antonia S, 25, a member of the Antiwar Action Network, during her speech to the attendees. “The genocidal Zionist state is once again escalating the situation with missile strikes that could provoke a wider war across the region.

“From violating numerous ceasefire agreements with Lebanon and the Palestinian Resistance, to bombing and annexing Syrian lands and bombing Yemeni civilians, Israel is now turning to military attacks on a key player in the axis of resistance: Iran,” she added.

Alongside passing vehicles, both groups of demonstrators stood for about an hour, brandishing their signs without incident. Although both declared their opposition to any war escalation in the current conflict, they differed on its future.

“The Persian people will rise up and reclaim their homeland,” Abraham said. “We do want to see the current regime gone because of how oppressive it is and the harm it continues to cause Iranians.”

Abraham’s words echoed those of Reza Pahlavi, the eldest son of Iran’s last shah and former crown prince, who, on June 17, in a post on X accompanied by a video from his exile in the U.S., encouraged his compatriots that “now is the time to stand up; the time to reclaim Iran.”

In the video, Pahlavi declared that the Islamic Republic is weakened and that its fall is both imminent and necessary. He also stated that a 100-day transition plan is in place for when the current Iranian regime collapses; a democratic government “by the Iranian people and for the Iranian people.”

Pahlavi’s dramatic message declaring the end of the Islamic Republic and pointing directly at Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was neither the only one nor the least controversial.

As the bombings struck the Iranian capital, and following an early departure from the G7 meeting in Canada, Trump made several posts on his social media platform, Truth Social, in which he ordered a full evacuation of Tehran and declared that it was too late to return to nuclear negotiations. The current U.S. president also claimed to know the exact location of Ali Khamenei, calling him an easy target, though, for now, he stated they would not kill him. He later demanded an unconditional surrender.

After Trump’s posts, in his second public appearance to the public since June 13, the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declared that a military involvement from the U.S. “will undoubtedly result in irreparable damage to them.

“The Iranian nation will stand firmly against the war imposed on it, as it has done so far,” Khamenei said. “It will also stand firmly against imposed peace. The Iranian nation will not surrender to anyone aiming to impose anything on it.”

Although Trump and his administration initially distanced the U.S. military from Israel’s first strikes on Iran, that has not prevented American military activity in the region, from the deployment of aircraft from U.S. soil to Europe, to the relocation of naval vessels in surrounding waters, raising concerns over a potential escalation.

In addition, on June 18 morning, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee stated in a post on X that the embassy is working on both maritime and aerial evacuation routes for American citizens seeking to leave Israel.

For Plitcha, holding a sign against the Palestinian genocide and wearing a kufiya that covered her face, another U.S. intervention in a foreign conflict would be a disgrace.

“We think it’s a shame,” Plitcha said. “We think it’s a stain on U.S. democracy. We should not be deploying our troops to antagonize and escalate war in the Middle East. We are vehemently against deploying U.S. troops to the region.”

On Wednesday afternoon, Trump said he approved attack plans over Iran, but has not yet decided, and has explicitly stated that military involvement in the conflict is considered, but not confirmed.

– Erick Diaz is a freelance writer and photographer. He is writing this article exclusive for The Arab American News.