Trump bombs Iran’s nuclear facilities, New York on alert, anti-war voices rise
President Trump bombed three key nuclear facilities in Iran on the 21st. To prevent potential unrest, New York City announced on the 22nd that it would increase security alerts and strengthen security deployment for religious and diplomatic institutions throughout the city. Since Trump’s actions were not approved by Congress, not only was the opposition party questioning its legitimacy, but hundreds of people took to the streets of Manhattan to call for an end to the attack on Iran.
Although Trump called the airstrike on Iran’s main nuclear facilities “very successful”, the subsequent impact of the incident remains to be seen. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) strongly condemned the United States through an official statement, calling the United States a “terrorist country” and warned that the United States would receive a “regrettable response” for its attack on Tehran’s nuclear facilities.
In the morning of the 22nd, New York Mayor Eric Adams held a briefing meeting with New York City Police liaison officers stationed in Israel, Jordan, Abu Dhabi and Qatar; he later confirmed that he had ordered an increase in police force at religious sites throughout the city, with special attention paid to communities where Iranians live.
The New York City Police Department issued a statement stating that it has activated a contingency plan for the current situation and has deployed additional police officers to religious, cultural and diplomatic institutions throughout the city “out of an abundance of caution”. The picture shows a schematic diagram. (Associated Press) The New York City Police Department (NYPD) also issued a statement stating that it has activated a contingency plan for the current situation and has deployed additional police officers to religious, cultural and diplomatic institutions throughout the city “out of an abundance of caution”. New York Governor Kathy Hochul said on the same day that the state government has also initiated response measures and will continue to receive intelligence briefings. She emphasized that there is no specific or credible threat at present, but the state police, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and the Port Authority have all stepped up anti-terrorism vigilance and are working closely with local law enforcement agencies. Hakeem Jeffries, the minority leader of the House of Representatives, severely criticized Trump’s move for not being authorized by Congress and questioned its legitimacy. “Trump promised to bring peace to the Middle East, but now he has broken his promise. The risk of war has increased significantly, and I pray for the American soldiers who are currently on the front line and in danger.”
On the afternoon of the 22nd, several left-wing anti-war and civil rights organizations convened a demonstration. Hundreds of people took to the streets of Times Square in Manhattan, shouting slogans such as “Don’t touch the Iranians” and “Stop the war”; and held up signs, calling Trump a “war criminal.” The same group of protesters then went to the Cathedral of St. John the Divine on the Upper West Side to celebrate the release of Mahmoud Khalil, a graduate student at Columbia University who had been arrested earlier.
