VETERANS FOR PEACE PDX Presents:

BLOCK THE BOOTS

An Open Letter to Oregon’s Congressional Delegation

We urge Oregon’s Congressional delegation to immediately oppose U.S. military action against Iran and to end U.S. funding and arms transfers to Israel. These actions violate U.S. and international law and risk devastating harm to civilians and global stability.

On February 28, 2026, the United States and Israel launched a war against Iran. In the first month alone, joint operations killed thousands of people—including hundreds of children—injured tens of thousands, and displaced hundreds of thousands more. Early airstrikes included the bombing of a girls’ school in southern Iran that killed over 140 students. Since then, attacks on civilian areas and critical infrastructure have continued, alongside threats of collective punishment tied to the Strait of Hormuz—clear violations of international humanitarian law.

At the same time, Israel has initiated a ground invasion of southern Lebanon, displacing more than one million people. According to the Lebanese Health Ministry, between March 2 and April 6, Israeli attacks killed 1,497 people and wounded 4,639, including at least 57 paramedics.

Numerous international and U.S. human rights organizations, including United Nations bodies, have concluded that Israel has committed genocide, ethnic cleansing, and other grave breaches of international law against the Palestinian people. The same tactics and weapons used in Gaza are now being deployed in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Lebanon, and Iran, with extensive documentation of attacks on civilians, medical workers, journalists, and essential infrastructure.

U.S. involvement directly implicates domestic law. The Leahy Law prohibits U.S. security assistance to foreign military units when there is credible information they have committed gross human rights violations. Despite this, the U.S. continues to supply arms and political backing, while tens of thousands of U.S. service members have been mobilized amid public discussion of a potential ground invasion of Iran.

We call on Oregon’s Congressional delegation to:

1.      Publicly oppose U.S. military action against Iran.

2.      Enforce the Leahy Law by halting arms transfers to Israeli units implicated in human rights violations.

3.      Reject further funding for wars of aggression and support accountability under U.S. and international law.

Congress has the authority and the obligation to act. Continued inaction makes the United States complicit in unlawful and devastating violations of human rights.

www.vfpchapter72.org