TEHRAN – More than 500 well-known academics and researchers from around the world have issued a joint letter, denouncing the war against Iran and warning about its consequences.

A group of Iranian and international scholars have warned in a signed letter about the catastrophic consequences of any military action against Iran, emphasizing that the exploitation of democratic movements for geopolitical purposes is morally indefensible.

The letter states that the initiation of any new war against Iran, in addition to causing humanitarian disasters and economic devastation, would be a clear violation of international law.

Notable signatories of the letter include Judith Butler, a philosopher and professor at UC Berkeley; Ervand Abrahamian, a prominent Iranian-American historian; Mohammad Maljoo, an Iranian economist; and Avi Shlaim, a professor of history at the University of Oxford.

Asef Bayat, a sociologist and professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Timothy Mitchell, a political scientist and professor at New York University; and Adam Hanieh, a political economist and professor at SOAS University of London, are among other signatories.

In another section of their statement, the scholars emphasized, referencing the experiences of the U.S. in wars over the past decades, that U.S. military interventions, regardless of whether they are labeled as regime change or humanitarian intervention, have consistently led to widespread human suffering and undermined the prospects for democracy.

The signatories concluded by calling for a diplomatic and humanitarian approach to resolving regional political crises and urged respect for the will of the people.

The U.S. and Israel attacked Iran last Saturday and have so far martyred over 1,000 people including the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and several military commanders as well as civilians, among them women and children.

Iran and the U.S. had agreed to attend a fourth round of nuclear talks in Vienna next week, following their most serious discussions in Geneva last Thursday. However, the U.S. derailed diplomatic negotiations with Iran just like the previous time in June 2025, launching a bombing campaign against Iran in conjunction with Israel.

The attacks prompted a swift response from the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), with missile and drone launches targeting Israel and several U.S. bases in the region, occurring less than two hours after the strikes, which have been intensified in recent days.

SS/SAB