RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Protesters in Richmond are sounding off after a U.S.-led military strike over the weekend left Iran’s Supreme Leader dead. On Sunday, March 1, the United States and Israel launched military strikes targeting key Iranian sites. The operation, dubbed “Epic Fury,” killed Iran supreme leader Ali Khamenei and left six American service members dead. The next day, on Monday, March 2, demonstrators gathered in the River City to oppose the attack, chanting: “Stop bombing Iran now.”  Reed Baldwin, an organizer with the Party for Socialism and Liberation, said protesters believe ordinary Iranians have more in common with working-class Americans than with political leaders driving the conflict. RELATED: Around 150 Hanover-based Va. National Guard soldiers were in Middle East before U.S.’s recent attacks on Iran “I understand the feeling of a need to change the circumstances, but the real way to change it with circumstances is solidarity -- like we’re coming out here and showing today,” Baldwin said. Patrick Rhamey, a professor of international studies at Virginia Military Institute (VMI), described Iran’s nuclear program as a central factor behind the strike.  “The Iranians appeared to have not agreed to the terms the Trump administration offered. So, the airstrikes by the Israelis and the United States were a consequence of that failure of those negotiations,” said Rhamey. Rhamey warned that retaliation is likely in the coming days, but said Iran lacks the missile capability to carry out precise strikes on the U.S. mainland. His theory was reinforced when, Monday night, drone strikes hit the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia. He added that, while President Donald Trump has indicated military action could continue for weeks, the U.S. adding more servicemembers is unlikely. Rhamey also cautioned that removing political leaders in the Middle East has historically led to instability rather than democracy, pointing to past U.S. interventions in Iraq and Libya. “We removed Saddam Hussein, we helped remove Mama Gaddafi and Libya -- neither of those countries became peaceful democracies after the fact,” Rhamey said. Organizers said protesters plan to meet on Thursday, March 5 at the Richmond Liberation Center for a public class on the history of the U.S.-Iran relations. This class is open to the public. ...read more read less