New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has denounced President Donald Trump's military strikes on Iran as 'illegal' and 'a catastrophic escalation', just two days after a friendly visit to the White House. The democratic socialist mayor issued a lengthy statement shortly after the US and Israel began bombarding Tehran and other targets across Iran.
The strikes left hundreds dead, including the country's supreme leader, according to state media, and triggered retaliatory attacks on US and Israeli assets, sparking fears of a broader conflict. Trump has said the bombardments will continue for weeks.
'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 on X. 'Bombing cities. Killing civilians. Opening a new theater of war. Americans do not want this.' He also announced increased police presence in New York out of an 'abundance of caution' and assured Iranian-Americans: 'You are part of the fabric of this city…You will be safe here.'
Mamdani's condemnation came 48 hours after a 'productive' White House meeting, where a photo showed Trump grinning and holding mock newspapers touting his support for new housing. The mayor defended the meeting, saying he will always keep an open line of communication with the president. Before his election, Mamdani had labelled Trump a 'fascist' and 'despot', while Trump called him a '100% communist lunatic'.
Saturday's strikes were not the only issue sparking pushback. On Thursday, Mamdani said he called Trump to share concerns about the arrest of a Columbia University student, Elmina Aghayeva, and was told she would be 'released imminently'.
