New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani called out the military strikes on Iran (Image source: Wikimedia Commons)
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani made it clear that he strongly disagrees with the United States and Israel’s military strikes on Iran, calling the moves an “illegal war of aggression” in an X post on Saturday afternoon.
United States citizens woke up Saturday morning to learn that the U.S. and Israel had launched missile strikes on Iran amid ongoing tension regarding Iran’s nuclear program. President Donald Trump posted about the “major combat operations” in a Truth Social post at 2:30 a.m. ET, just over one hour after the attacks began.
As of publication, there are over 200 reported deaths, and roughly 700 others have been injured in “Operation Epic Fury.”
“Bombing cities. Killing civilians. Opening a new theater of war. Americans do not want this,” Mamdani wrote. “They do not want another war in pursuit of regime change. They want relief from the affordability crisis. They want peace.”
Mamdani’s post had over 9 million views and roughly 220,000 likes in its first three hours.
It is worth noting that Mamdani did not mention Trump nor Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Mamdani met with Trump at the White House earlier this week.
“Comrade Mayor is rooting for the Ayatollah,” Texas Sen. Ted Cruz wrote on X. “They can chant together.”
Mamdani said that he has already begun communicating with New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch. The recently elected mayor reiterated that the city is taking “proactive steps” and working to protect “sensitive locations.” He did not specify what those locations were.
“Additionally, I want to speak directly to Iranian New Yorkers: you are part of the fabric of this city — you are our neighbors, small business owners, students, artists, workers, and community leaders,” Mamdani wrote. “You will be safe here.”
As of publication, there have been no reports regarding attacks or harm to any Iranian citizens in New York City.
In a statement issued on Saturday afternoon, U.S. Central Command said that targets included, but were not limited to, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps command and control facilities, military airfields, and missile and drone launch sites. There have been no reports of U.S. casualties at this time.
“As the President stated, our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime,” CENTCOM wrote on X. “The President ordered bold action. CENTCOM forces are delivering an overwhelming and unrelenting blow.”
According to CENTCOM, Operation Epic Fury involves the “largest regional concentration of American military firepower in a generation.”
Trump told NBC that “most” of Iran’s senior leadership is gone, and the government believes that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in airstrikes. He added that the military strikes are “already a success.”
“We’ve inflicted tremendous damage,” Trump said. “It would take them years to rebuild.”
