New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani belatedly condemned Iran's brutal crackdown on protesters last night (Tuesday), the New York Post reported.
“I absolutely do not support the way the Iranian government has responded to that," Mamdani stated while taking questions from reporters during a press conference. “I think that the Iranian government and every government should respect the right of people to express their political opinions and for people to be able to do so safely."
Mamdani's comments did not address the death toll from Iran's response to the widespread anti-regime protests, which, according to some reports, reached 12,000 as of yesterday.
The self-proclaimed Democratic Socialist had faced criticism for his lack of response to the regime's crackdown on protesters, which began in earnest with the government's move to cut off internet and phone lines throughout Iran last Thursday.
Mamdani's weak and delayed response to Iran's killing of thousands of civilians stands in contrast to his frequent and stronger criticism of Israel's retaliation for the October 7 masscare and war against the Hamas terrorist organization. He criticized Israel immediately after the massacre Hamas committed and has accused Israel of "genocide" and war crimes despite its efforts to avoid civilian casualties and the genocidal nature of Hamas, language he has not used to describe the massacre of thousands or tens of thousands of civilians in Iran in a matter of days.