Statement on the Ongoing War In Iran
As Operation Epic Fury enters into its sixth month there is no end in sight for the war the United States and Israel are waging against Iran, its allies, and its proxies in the Middle East.
The war is illegal under the United States Constitution, which stipulates that only Congress can declare war. While the president is allowed to defend the country against attack without congressional authorization, the ongoing American attacks on Iran are aggressive and unprovoked, and therefore are illegal without congressional approval.
Because the United States is targeting civilian infrastructure, killing noncombatants and limiting the free transit of maritime traffic in international waters, the war is also illegal under international law.
And, the war is profoundly immoral. As of the middle of July 2026, as many as 18,000 people—each one a precious child of God—have lost their lives in the war the United States is fighting in the Middle East(1). Those killed include members of every military and militant group involved in the fighting (including members of the United States Military) as well as children and noncombatants of every age.
In the process of instigating and prolonging this illegal and immoral bloodshed, the United States has spent more than $37 billion of American taxpayers’ money(2). American consumers, meanwhile, have spent roughly $40 billion extra on gasoline since the war began on February 28, 2026. Those who drive American commercial vehicles have spent around $30 billion on inflated diesel costs(3) which are being passed on to American consumers at grocery stores and anywhere else they purchase goods, causing a spike in inflation. This theft of American capital to fund an immoral war has real consequences for the American people, especially those who are vulnerable and living on the cusp of poverty, hunger, and homelessness–our neighbors and friends who benefit from social programs currently in danger of being cut to fund the violence of war. As bad as it is for Americans, the economic cost of the war is much worse in Iran, Lebanon, and other places directly affected by the US-inflicted violence.
As the war has progressed, violence against civilian maritime traffic—perpetrated by both sides—has closed the Strait of Hormuz. This has dramatically limited the international supply of fertilizer which, in turn, is having a negative impact on food production around the world, threatening a global spike in hunger and starvation.
There is no valid moral or ethical system—religious or secular—that excuses the ongoing war in Iran. The Presbyterian Peace Fellowship stands entirely opposed to the war. The Presbyterian Peace Fellowship commends to all Presbyterians the PC(USA) Office of Public Witness’ March, 2026 “Statement on the Ongoing War in Iran,” and it calls on the Presbyterian Church (USA) in all of its congregations, councils, institutions, and entities to condemn Operation Epic Fury as deeply immoral and contrary to the Gospel of Jesus, who taught us to love our enemies(4), and who proclaimed a Kingdom of God in which, in the fullness of time, after beating their swords and spears into plowshares and pruning hooks, people will dwell securely and without fear “under their own vines and fig trees.”(5)
May this day of peace come quickly.
Roman Kukhalashvili, Iran War Casualties 2026: US, Iran & Civilian Death Toll Tracker, updated July 15, 2026. https://militaryspend.org/iran-war-casualties
Cost Of War Project, Iran War Energy Cost Tracker, updated July 15, 2026. https://militaryspend.org/us-iran-war
Cost Of War Project, Iran War Energy Cost Tracker, updated July 15, 2026. https://militaryspend.org/us-iran-war
Matthew 5:43-48
Micah 4:1-5
Image credit: David Geitgey Sierralupe from Eugene, Oregon, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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