New York mayoral race becomes a mirror for Iran’s political divides

AMWAJ-Nov6th2025

The story: The victory of Zohran Mamdani in New York’s mayoral election has triggered heated debate in Iran. While state media and hardliners frame the rise of the Shiite Muslim politician as a blow to Israel and US President Donald Trump, critics of the Islamic Republic abroad have voiced concern and Islamophobic sentiments. Observers say these dynamics highlight how US politics can serve as a mirror for ideological rifts among Iranians.

The coverage: Media in Iran have extensively covered Mamdani’s election as New York’s first Muslim mayor.

• Tasnim News Agency, a media affiliate of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), described the outcome of the vote as “a structural earthquake” in American politics, suggesting that it reflects “redefining social justice and equality” beyond party lines.
• Similarly, Fars News Agency called the result a “humiliating defeat for Trump,” highlighting Mamdani’s past comments about arresting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over alleged war crimes if he visits New York.
• The Tehran Municipality-run Hamshahri daily drew parallels between Mamdani’s stance against Trump and the “inspiration” of Hussein ibn Ali, a grandson of Prophet Muhammad who Shiite Muslims revere as an Imam. Of note, Mamdani identifies as a believer in the Twelver Shiite branch of Islam, the predominant sect in Iran.

Moderate and Reformist outlets have also reveled in the victory of the American Muslim politician.

• The government-run IRNA news agency praised Mamdani’s progressive agenda and his outreach to Jewish communities despite accusations of antisemitism and tensions over the Gaza war.  The outlet separately said “Zionists are afraid” of his victory.
• The semi-official ISNA news agency described Mamdani as “a symbol of a new generation of justice-seeking politicians.”

On social media, however, ideological divides among Iranians have poured out into the open.

• Some opposition figures and diaspora commentators have attacked Mamdani, calling him a “dirty Islamist Marxist” and drawing parallels with Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.
• Mitra Hejazipour, a chess champion who left Iran for France after being expelled from the national team for refusing to wear the hijab, posted a picture of Mamdani eating traditional Indian food with his hands, writing, “New York has fallen.” Of note, the picture has in recent weeks been widely circulated by rightwing activists in the US along with derogatory sentiments.
• Washington-based activist Fahimeh Khezr Heidari in an elaborate post spoke of the alleged dangers of Mamdani’s election and argued that “Islamophobia is our natural right.”

Other Iranians have pushed back on what they perceive as racism and bigotry.

• Foreign-based journalist Maryam Rahmati reminded critics that secularism in the US ensures “freedom of religion for all,” while commentator Hajar Moradi denounced the “racist” tone of the anti-Mamdani commentary.
• In a sharp retort to Hejazipour’s post, commentator Soheil Dowlatshahi mocked the notion that she had once been touted as a “champion in the fight for freedom and democracy.”

Hardline and conservative voices have rejoiced in Mamdani’s rise.

• University professor and pundit Foad Izadi linked the development to the 1979 US embassy takeover in Iran by revolutionaries, declaring that the “message” of the latter “has reached New York.”
• Journalist Abdollah Ganji argued that the win is significant for its anti-capitalist and pro-Palestinian message, signaling “American discontent with inequality.”
• MP Mojtaba Zarei also celebrated the result, proclaiming that “the world is one step closer to arresting Trump’s partner in crime, Netanyahu.”

Reformist figures, meanwhile, have pointed to the election as proof of democracy in the US.

• Prominent academic Sadeq Zibakalam argued that Mamdani’s victory, despite Trump’s opposition, proves that “democracy and the rule of law”—and not the will of a president—have the final say in the US.
• Legal scholar Mohsen Borhani similarly called the election outcome “an educational class in democracy,” suggesting that state bodies which vet candidates in Iranian polls should draw a lesson from it.
• Former culture minister Ataollah Mohajerani hailed Mamdani as “another face of America” and a symbol of defeat for Trump, Zionism and diaspora monarchists, whom he described as devastated.

The context/analysis: Iranian reactions to Mamdani’s win illustrate how domestic ideological rivalries continue to shape interpretations of events abroad.

• For both hardliners and Reformists, the Muslim politician’s victory has been turned into a symbolic battleground—one side framing it as a validation of revolutionary ideals, and the other as proof of the resilience of American democracy.
• IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency has argued that the vote shows that “the old model of American governance is collapsing,” echoing longstanding state narratives that western political systems are in decline. The latter serves to reinforce the political establishment’s belief that its worldview—centered on opposition to Israel and the US—is gaining traction abroad.

In contrast, pro-reform commentators such as Borhani and Zibakalam have highlighted the features of western democracies that hardliners tend to dismiss: pluralism, secularism and democratic accountability.

• Such pundits argue that Mamdani’s win demonstrates that US democracy allows for genuine political diversity, despite the claims of Iranian state discourse.

Notably, Reformist political commentator Ahmad Zeidabadi cautioned that Iranian hardliners may soon regret embracing Mamdani as a symbol of their own ideology.

• Responding to Izadi’s claim that “the message of 4 November has reached New York,” Zeidabadi said Mamdani is likely to take positions on Iran’s domestic and foreign policies, Israel’s security, and LGBTQ+ rights that will sharply contradict the values upheld by those in Tehran who celebrate his victory.

Beyond the political divides inside Iran, the reactions by diaspora activists reveal deeper social tensions.

• Many exiled Iranians have equated Mamdani’s faith with political Islam, expressing Islamophobic sentiments—apparently at least partly rooted in their own experiences with clerical rule.
• Online posts accusing the American politician of sympathizing with terrorism or having ideological similarities to Khomeini may reflect how trauma from Iran’s theocracy has translated into suspicion of Muslim identity.

The future: How Mamdani governs will determine whether the enthusiasm or hostility he has sparked in Iran proves justified.

• The ambitious campaign pledges—from freezing rents to offering free public transportation—face formidable resistance from the US conservative establishment. Moreover, the mayor-elect’s relationship with Washington will likely be combative.
• If Mamdani’s agenda falters, hardline Iranian media may portray it as proof of the failures of “western democracy,” while Iranians opposed to him could seize the opportunity to express further criticism.
• But if Mamdani’s agenda succeeds, Reformist voices could point to his record as evidence that progressive governance rooted in pluralism and accountability can thrive.

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