Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) vehemently condemns the escalation of the United States’ war against Iran under the administration of US President Donald Trump. At a time when the world is already reeling from overlapping crises of inflation, food insecurity, and economic instability, the US is once again pushing humanity toward deeper catastrophe through military aggression and threats of annihilation.

In recent developments of the war, Trump issued a chilling warning that a “whole civilisation will die” should Iran refuse US demands. While there are reports of a temporary ceasefire agreement between Iran and the US, the effects of war continue to persist – devastation, instability, and suffering do not simply vanish with a pause in fighting. These statements and shifting conditions further unmask the true character of US imperialism: a never-ending war machine that treats entire nations as disposable to advance its interests. And given Trump’s notoriously unhinged and unpredictable character, any fragile agreement could unravel in a second, plunging the region back into open conflict. Not even a day after the ceasefire announcement, Israel has launched a massive bombardment campaign against Lebanon — a violation of the ceasefire terms.

The US war is not confined to West Asia and it threatens global shipping routes, oil supply lines, and trade flows, which will further intensify oil price shocks and inflation worldwide. This has already impacted farmers and fisherfolk in the Philippines, who already suffer from soaring fertilizer and fuel prices, and is expected to even worsen in the coming days. The two-week ceasefire announced by Trump, tied to the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, will not immediately ease the crisis, as global oil prices are driven not only by physical supply but also by futures trading, speculation, and war-related risk premiums. Department of Energy secretary Sharon Garin has admitted to this herself at the prospect of safe passage of Philippine tankers in Hormuz, and will not immediately bring down pump prices.

The war that was started by the US, and the subsequent escalations, is never on the name of self-defense, and is an evident extension of the same US policy that has ravaged Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Libya, and Palestine: wars waged in the name of “national security” but in actuality driven by strategic control over oil and resources, geopolitical influence, and military supremacy.

KMP further condemns the Trump administration’s record of war crimes and its continued use of terror tactics as a political tool. The reported bombings of bridges, highways, and airports are violations of international humanitarian law and demonstrate the same pattern of imperialist warfare seen in Iraq and Afghanistan: destroy civilian infrastructure to break the will of a population. Such attacks deliberately deepen suffering among civilians and turn essential public facilities into unwilling targets.

The implications for the Philippines are grave. As Iran and its allies warn of retaliation against US military assets, US bases and facilities across the Gulf region have already become targets. In this context, the continued operation and expansion of US military presence in the Philippines through EDCA sites is a direct threat to Filipino lives. These sites are strategic outposts of US power projection in Asia. In the event of a wider global conflict, EDCA facilities can become legitimate military targets, putting communities around them in danger.

KMP therefore challenges the Ferdinand Marcos Jr. administration to take immediate action and bar the resumption of the Balikatan military exercises scheduled on April 20. Marcos Jr. must stop acting as a willing puppet of US foreign policy and instead uphold Philippine sovereignty. The Philippines must not be dragged into imperialist wars. VFA and EDCA imperil Filipino lives, and were never enacted to serve Filipino interests.

KMP stands in solidarity with the people of Iran and all peoples resisting imperialist aggression. Filipino farmers condemn Trump’s extinction threats and the US military’s attacks on civilian infrastructure. We call on the Filipino people to oppose US imperialism and demand an independent foreign policy rooted in peace, sovereignty, and genuine national development. ###