Iranian-Born US Journalist Rips Mamdani Over Criticism Of U.S.-Israeli Strikes

Iranian-American journalist Masih Alinejad is not holding back.

Over the weekend, Alinejad forcefully rebuked New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani after he publicly condemned U.S. and Israeli military strikes that eliminated top Iranian regime figures — including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

The coordinated operation, carried out by American and Israeli forces, reportedly killed Khamenei and several senior officials. While Iranian dissidents across the globe celebrated what many described as a long-overdue blow to the Islamic Republic, Mamdani struck a sharply different tone.

“Today’s military strikes on Iran — carried out by the United States and Israel — mark a catastrophic escalation in an illegal war of aggression. Bombing cities. Killing civilians,” the socialist mayor, who is Muslim, complained.

“Opening a new theater of war. Americans do not want this. They do not want another war in pursuit of regime change. They want relief from the affordability crisis. They want peace,” he said.

Alinejad, who herself was the target of a foiled Iranian assassination plot in 2024 on American soil, responded with fury on X.

“To you, Zohran Mamdani! You stayed quiet when we have faced massacre, when Islamic Republic assassins were sent here in New York to kill us, stay quiet now! STOP lecturing us Iranians about peace,” she wrote, referencing his remarks about “safety” and arguing that “safety without justice” is meaningless.

She continued with a blistering rebuke:

“We Iranians do not allow you to lecture us about war while you had nothing to say when the Islamic Republic shot schoolgirls and blinded more than 10,000 innocent people in the streets. You were busy celebrating the hijab while women of my beloved country Iran were jailed and raped by Islamic Security forces for removing it. And NOW you find your voice to defend the regime? No. I will not let you claim the moral high ground,” she continued.

Alinejad made clear that, in her view, moral authority belongs to the victims of Tehran’s brutality — not to Western politicians criticizing efforts to dismantle it.

“I don’t feel safe in New York listening to someone like you, Mamdani, who sympathizes with the regime that killed more than 30,000 unarmed Iranians in less than 24 hours,” she wrote. “The people of Iran want to be free. Where were you when they needed solidarity? New York belongs to people who stand against terrorism not those who excuse it.”

Her criticism didn’t stop there. During a separate media appearance, Alinejad amplified her concerns about what she sees as misplaced sympathies among American political leaders.

On State of the Union with Dana Bash, she appeared alongside Moj Mahdara, an Iranian-American entrepreneur and co-founder of the Iranian Diaspora Collective. Mahdara delivered a pointed message aimed squarely at Democratic leadership.

“I think that it is imperative the Democratic Party wake up and get past their dislike of Donald Trump, President Trump, and their feelings of international conflicts going on. This is about national security. This is about what is possible in the Middle East. This is about being a good neighbor, good partner to the Gulf States and what their aspirations are,” she said.

Meanwhile, a senior White House official confirmed Sunday that elements within Iran’s “new potential leadership” have signaled openness to talks with the United States. The official, speaking anonymously about internal deliberations, said President Donald J. Trump — now serving his second term — is “eventually” open to negotiations, though for now the military campaign “continues unabated,” according to Fox News.

The official declined to identify the emerging figures in Tehran or detail how overtures were communicated.

As the situation evolves, the divide is becoming increasingly clear: Iranian dissidents who endured decades of repression are welcoming the collapse of a brutal regime structure, while progressive American politicians warn of escalation.

For Alinejad and many like her, the message is simple — freedom for the Iranian people cannot be equated with sympathy for their oppressors.