According to a recent report in MEMRI, the Iranian regime is praising the election of Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York City, stressing that it was the result of the US Embassy takeover in Tehran in 1979.
By Rachel Avraham
According to a recent report in MEMRI, “Following Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral win in New York City, Iranian regime spokesmen and senior officials excitedly framed it as a strategic achievement of the values of Iran’s Islamic revolutionary regime. Their reactions can be divided into several narratives.”
MEMRI continued, “The dominant narrative presented by regime representatives, such as the Nour News website, which is affiliated with Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, as well as the IRGC Qods Force channel on Telegram, stressed that Mamdani’s win marked the beginning of the decline of Trumpism and the “collapse of the old [capitalist] order” in the U.S. It was emphasized that the open support of Mamdani – a Shi’ite Muslim – for Palestine had made his win “a triumph for the resistance front” and reflective of the awakening of the immigrant and Muslim sector in the U.S.”
According to MEMRI, “The pragmatic-conservative Asr-e Iran website stressed that Mamdani’s election, coming as it did “nearly two decades after the events of 9/11, reflects a crossing of the mental barriers created following that event.” It also expressed the hope that “the change that began in New York will be reflected in next year’s Congressional elections in the U.S.””
MEMRI continued, “Ideological regime officials interpreted and expressed Mamdani’s win as a direct message of the Islamic revolution. Foad Izadi, a senior lecturer at Tehran University, described it in an X post as the outcome of the November 4, 1979 takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran exactly 46 years previously, and Majlis member Abolghassem Jarareh announced that it proved the might of the slogan “Death to Israel” that has promoted by the Iranian regime from its inception.”
According to MEMRI, “Others emphasized that the victory signified a shift in the U.S. approach to Israel and a weakening of the Jewish and Zionist lobby whose influence in New York and in the American arena was in decline. Asr-e Iran underlined that Mamdani’s win reflected the weakening of the Jewish lobby and the collapse of its “use of the accusation of antisemitism.” In contrast, reformist intellectual Sadeq Zibakalam praised American democracy and the rule of law in the U.S. that had allowed Mamdani to be elected. He added that Mamdani’s victory showed that despite all Iran’s propaganda in the past 46 years, “in this country [the U.S.], democracy and the rule of law have the last word.””
In a November 5, 2025 article, the Nour News website, affiliated with Iran’s Supreme National Security Council which is in charge of regime decision-making along with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, wrote: “One of the important factors in Mamdani’s win was his position on the Palestinian issue and the Gaza war. He met with Jewish organizations, but at the same time openly spoke about his pro-Palestinian positions. This position drew the attention of academic and social circles in America that lean towards supporting social justice.”
According to the Nour News website, “Thus, Mamdani’s election is not just the city’s choice, but also a sign of a redefinition of identity politics and international politics in America – an America that is no longer focusing merely on internal security but also sees global issues such as Palestine as part of the voters’ considerations. The outcome is that the aim to isolate Palestine and the exclusive reliance on Zionism have failed in certain parts of America – [that is, Mamdani’s win is] a strategic achievement for the resistance movement and for those demanding international justice.”
In a post on X on November 5, 2025, Mohammad Hosseini, a member of the Scientific Committee at Tehran University, a former minister Of Culture And Islamic Guidance, and vice president in the government of president Ebrahim Raisi, congratulated Mamdani and claimed that he is influenced by the Imam Hossein (the Third Imam and the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad) and the Ashura – in connection with Mamdani’s Shi’ite faith: “For the first time, a young Muslim, 34 years old, a supporter of Palestine, and a staunch opponent of [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu, has, in an historic election and with the highest voter turnout, become # NYCMayor and in fact the ruler of this city, despite Trump’s threats. # ZohranMamdani, in his path to politics and the struggle for economic justice, was inspired by the Imam Hossein and the Ashura.”
Commentator Foad Izadi, a lecturer at the Faculty of International Relations at Tehran University, wrote on his X account that Mamdani’s win was an outcome of the November 4, 1979 U.S. Embassy takeover in Tehran at the start of the Islamic Revolution. The official Telegram channel of the IRGC Qods Force celebrated Mamdani’s win, writing on November 5, 2025: “Mamdani’s win, and Trump’s and Elon Musk’s loss in the New York elections, is an important and joyful event. Trump is no longer the exclusive symbol of America. Mamdani is the new face of America, a symbol of the defeat of Trump and Zionism and of the victory of the majority of young Jews who supported him.”
Majlis speaker and member from Tehran Abolghasem Jarareh said on November 5, 2025 that Mamdani’s victory “is proof of the might of the slogan ‘Death to Israel’.” He then joined the other Majlis members in chanting “Death to Israel” in the plenary.
Photo from Dmitryshein: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zohran_Mamdani#/media/File:Zohran_Mamdani_05.25.25_(b)_(cropped).jpg
