Mamdani condemns airstrikes as ‘illegal’ and a ‘catastrophic escalation’ two days after newest pleasant go to with Trump | EUROtoday

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani denounced President Donald Trump’s strikes on Iran as “illegal” and “a catastrophic escalation” — simply two days after a pleasant go to to the White House.

The democratic socialist mayor wasted little time in voicing his opposition to the assaults, issuing a prolonged assertion shortly after the U.S. and Israel started bombarding Tehran and different targets throughout the Middle Eastern nation.

The strikes left a whole bunch of individuals lifeless, together with the nation’s supreme chief, in response to state media, and triggered a wave of retaliatory assaults on U.S. and Israeli belongings, sparking fears of a broader battle. Trump has stated the bombardments will proceed for weeks, if not longer.

“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, 34, wrote on X. “Bombing cities. Killing civilians. Opening a new theater of war. Americans do not want this.”

He additionally stated he was bolstering the town’s police presence out of an “abundance of caution,” and particularly addressed the Iranian-Americans residing within the 5 boroughs, assuring them: “You are part of the fabric of this city…You will be safe here.”

Mamdani’s condemnation of Trump’s shock army operation — which was extra unequivocal than that of many high-ranking Democrats — got here simply 48 hours after the pair’s newest White House assembly.

The mayor described the sit-down as “productive” and posted a photograph of himself beside Trump within the Oval Office. In it, Trump was grinning and holding up mock newspapers touting the president’s help for brand new housing building.

In a press release to PoliticoMamdani addressed the shift from his cordial in-person demeanor to his sharp rebuke on-line.

“In my relationship with the president, it has always been one that has also been honest and direct, where both of us make clear our policy disagreements, both in public and in private, and I think it’s important to be on the record here, given the scale of the consequences that we are speaking about,” the mayor instructed the outlet.

Mamdani additionally defended his newest assembly throughout a press convention yesterday, telling reporters: “As the mayor of our city, I will always look to keep an open line of communication with the president of our country.”

Before his November election, Mamdani and Trump regularly exchanged barbs, with the then-state assemblyman labeling the president a “fascist” and “despot,” whereas Trump branded Mamdani a “100% communist lunatic.”

However, on November 21, the pair shocked observers with their first White House assembly, which turned out to be surprisingly cordial, bordering on a love-fest.

“I think you’re going to have, hopefully, a really great mayor — the better he does, the happier I am,” Trump stated on the time, whereas seated subsequent to Mamdani.

And, throughout final week’s State of the Union handle, the 79-year-old president made clear he likes Mamdani personally, regardless of their coverage clashes.

“I think he’s a nice guy. I actually speak to him a lot — bad policy, but nice guy, Trump told the crowd assembled in the House chamber. He went on to suggest that the mayor is a hypocrite for not supporting voter ID.

Saturday’s strikes on Iran weren’t the only issue to spark pushback from Mamdani.

On Thursday, the mayor said he called Trump to share his concerns about the arrest of a Columbia University student by federal agents. He wrote that the president informed him the student, Elmina Aghayeva, would be “released imminently.”