In a deeply disturbing development, Iran’s state-run media openly praised the man accused of murdering two individuals near the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C., this week—an act widely seen as terrorism.
The killer, Elias Rodriguez, a 31-year-old from Chicago, allegedly told police he shot the victims “for Palestine… for Gaza“.
State-Controlled Press Glorifies Embassy Shootings
The Kayhan newspaper, considered a mouthpiece for Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, referred to Rodriguez as “our dear brother” and claimed he had “founded the Washington Basij”—a reference to Iran’s notorious paramilitary force that enforces regime loyalty and suppresses dissent.
Hossein Shariatmadari, the hardline editor of Kayhan, shockingly referred to the victims—26-year-old Sarah Milgrim, an American from Kansas, and 30-year-old Israeli national Yaron Lischinsky—as “Zionist wild animals” and celebrated their murders. Both were reportedly staffers at the Israeli embassy.
The regime’s language stunned even seasoned foreign policy analysts. Israel’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Oren Marmorstein, condemned the editorial, calling it “unfathomable” and a clear incitement to terror on U.S. soil. “Iran openly calls for terror attacks against Israel on U.S. soil,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Regime’s Terror Ties Exposed Amid Nuclear Deal Talks
The timing of Kayhan’s editorial raises alarm bells, as it comes while the Trump administration is reportedly considering a partial nuclear deal with Iran.
According to Israel Hayom, such a deal could grant limited sanctions relief in exchange for Iran suspending its nuclear weapons program.
Yet, critics argue that Iran has never truly renounced its right to enrich uranium—a critical step in building a nuclear bomb. The regime, designated a state sponsor of terrorism by the U.S. since the 1980s, has long leveraged terrorism as a tool of foreign policy.
Jason Brodsky, policy director of United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), called the glorification of Rodriguez’s actions “a reminder that the Iranian regime is the leading state-sponsor of antisemitism.” He warned, “These media statements show the regime cannot be trusted.”
Kayhan has a documented history of publishing antisemitic content, including past praise for Adolf Hitler. Its latest celebration of embassy murders underscores the radical ideology that underpins Iran’s leadership, regardless of what is projected at the diplomatic table.
Another Regime Outlet Echoes Praise for the Killer
Vatan-e-Emrooz, a newspaper linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)—a U.S.-designated terrorist organization—also praised the killings. Like Kayhan, it described Rodriguez as acting on behalf of Iran’s values, suggesting the attack was an act of “revenge” cloaked in Islamic rhetoric.
Iranian-born Israeli analyst Beni Sabti, of the Institute for National Security Studies, emphasized that these editorials represent a threat to the U.S. as much as to Israel. “It’s very important that Americans understand that the terror is also or mostly against them,” he told Fox News Digital.
Sabti noted the Iranian press’s framing of Rodriguez as a kind of religious avenger—linking his name to Eliyahoo (Elijah), a prophet in Islamic tradition known for slaying idolaters. “It’s a kind of phrase that Elias is a man of God when he killed those employees of the embassy,” he said.
Western Engagement With Iran Faces New Scrutiny
The violent endorsement of a domestic terror attack on American soil casts further doubt on the wisdom of any U.S. diplomatic overtures toward Iran.
While diplomats may offer smiles and scripted soundbites, the true nature of the Islamic Republic is laid bare in these incendiary media statements.
With the Trump administration weighing a nuclear deal, experts and policymakers are warning against repeating past mistakes.
As Brodsky put it, “The true face of the Islamic Republic is represented by these articles, not its smiling diplomats at the negotiating tables of Oman and Rome.”
