Zohran Mamdani dodges question about whether Iran is better off without the ayatollah

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani appeared to dodge a reporter's question about whether Iran is better off without Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a press conference Tuesday.

Khamenei, who ruled the Islamic Republic for more than three decades, was killed in an Israeli military strike in Tehran last week.

"Mr. Mayor, do you think Iran is better off without the ayatollah?" a reporter asked.

While Mamdani acknowledged the regime's "systematic repression" of its own people and that it's "killing thousands" of Iranian protesters, he did not answer whether the country is better off without the dictator.

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"I've said before that the Iranian government has engaged in systematic repression of its own people, even killing thousands of Iranians who were seeking to express the most basic forms of dissent earlier this year," Mamdani responded.

"It is a brutal government, and I've also said that while I may be a young mayor, I am old enough to remember the devastating consequences of our country pursuing a war with the intent of regime change in that very same region not that many years ago."

Mamdani's office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

Last week, the mayor faced backlash on social media over his post condemning the U.S. attack on Iran that led to the killing of Khamenei.

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On Saturday, as a joint strike on Iran by the United States and Israel was developing, Mamdani slammed the Trump administration's decision in a post on X that has been viewed roughly 20 million times. 

"Today's military strikes on Iran - carried out by the United States and Israel - mark a catastrophic escalation in an illegal war of aggression," Mamdani wrote.

"Bombing cities. Killing civilians. Opening a new theater of war. Americans do not want this. They do not want another war in pursuit of regime change."

Mamdani said Americans prefer "relief from the affordability crisis" before speaking directly to Iranians in New York City.

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The post was quickly called out by conservatives on social media, making the case that Mamdani's response appeared sympathetic to Iran's regime.