Max Steele

🚨 BREAKING: The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) just released a statement on Iran titled “DSA Stands against Imperialist War and with the Iranian People.” Read how it actually frames the regime... The framing is telling. Throughout the statement, DSA repeatedly invokes solidarity with “the Iranian people,” yet the argument consistently centers the sovereignty of the Iranian state. It condemns “violations of its sovereignty” and insists that “national sovereignty is a precondition for working-class liberation,” while saying nothing about the Islamic Republic’s repression of its own citizens. There’s no mention of political prisoners, protest crackdowns, executions, or the mass demonstrations that have defined Iranian domestic politics in recent years. Even more striking is how the statement assigns responsibility for Iranian suffering almost entirely to the United States. DSA claims U.S. policy has “destroyed the Iranian economy,” “empowered a class of domestic sanctions profiteers,” and “caused the Iranian working class to suffer.” Missing from the analysis: the regime’s own corruption and mismanagement, and its role as a central financer and sponsor of the Axis of Resistance—the network of proxies and militant groups Iran uses to project power across the region. Unsurprisingly, the statement eventually pivots from foreign policy commentary to movement-building, calling for “participation in mass mobilizations,” urging readers to “contact their representatives in Congress,” and to “join DSA and its International Committee.” That’s notable because DSA’s International Committee has recently drawn attention for full-throated defenses of the regime even amid repression of protesters—making it hard to read this document as neutral “solidarity” rather than ideological alignment.

A county spokesperson said the project does not include a good neighbor agreement because it's not in a residential area. But some neighbors think the neighborhood deserves a say.