Hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the White House on June 18 evening to protest Israel’s ongoing military actions in Gaza and Iran, calling for an end to the violence and urging President Donald Trump to resist deeper US involvement in the widening conflict.
The protest, organised by the ANSWER Coalition, featured a sea of Palestinian and Iranian flags, keffiyehs, and signs reading “No New War in the Middle East” and “Stop US Weapons to Israel.”
Demonstrators chanted in support of a “people’s arms embargo”, demanding that US arms shipments to Israel be halted immediately.
The protest comes as US officials weigh a possible entry into the regional war, following Israel’s unprovoked attacks on Iranian soil and Iran’s retaliatory missile launches.
At one point, a small group carrying Israeli flags arrived, sparking tension as protesters began chanting against Zionism.
Police intervened quickly, forming a bicycle barricade to separate the groups. A minor confrontation was observed when an officer pushed back a protester who refused to step away.
Despite periods of heavy rain, the demonstration remained peaceful but impassioned, with chants for Palestinian liberation and an end to Israeli military actions across Palestine, Iran, Lebanon, and Yemen.
While Israel claimed its attacks targeted Iran’s Natanz enrichment site, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported damage to underground centrifuge halls.
Iran accused Israel of also hitting residential areas.
In response, Iran launched 400 missiles and drones at Israeli cities, including the much-touted Fattah-1 missile.
The flare-up also follows statements made by US President Donald Trump, who stated Iran had reached out for negotiations but that it was "very late to be talking".
Protests also took place across different cities in the US, with many taking to the streets of New York, Philadelphia, and Orlando to march against US involvement in the Iran-Israel war.
Marches are expected to continue until June 21.
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