Nikki Haley backs US-Israel strikes, Zohran Mamdani warns of war

Indian American leaders sharply differed in their reactions to the US-Israeli strikes on Iran that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, highlighting deep divisions in American political opinion.

Former US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley hailed the operation as a moment of historic consequence, calling it both “history-defining” and “legacy-defining” for President Donald Trump and his administration. In an interview with Fox News, Haley described the strikes as necessary and overdue.

“This was something that needed to happen,” she said, framing the confrontation as “a war of good versus evil”. She argued that diplomacy had run its course and failed. “They attempted to do diplomacy, and the Iranian regime did what they always do. They lie, they cheat, they never tell the truth,” she said, asserting that US forces would have acted swiftly to cripple communications and neutralise missile launch capabilities.

Haley also cast the strikes as a strategic signal to global rivals. “Don’t forget what China and Russia are watching right now,” she warned, suggesting that the display of force would compel adversaries to “take a second look at the Trump administration.” Even as she praised the operation, she said her prayers were “first to the innocents on the ground.”

In New York, however, mayor Zohran Mamdani struck a markedly different tone, condemning the military action as a dangerous escalation. Writing on X, he described the strikes as “a catastrophic escalation in an illegal war of aggression”, warning that they risked opening a new and perilous chapter in an already volatile region.

“Bombing cities. Killing civilians. Opening a new theater of war. Americans do not want this,” Mamdani wrote. He argued that voters were far more concerned with domestic struggles than foreign entanglements. “They do not want another war in pursuit of regime change. They want relief from the affordability crisis. They want peace.”

At the same time, Mamdani sought to reassure anxious residents. He said he had been in contact with New York’s police commissioner and emergency management officials and that city authorities were taking proactive steps — increasing interagency coordination and stepping up patrols at sensitive locations “out of an abundance of caution”.

Addressing Iranian Americans directly, Mamdani offered words of solidarity. “You are part of the fabric of this city — you are our neighbors, small business owners, students, artists, workers, and community leaders,” he said. “You will be safe here.”

At the federal level, vigilance was also heightened. Kash Patel, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, said agents nationwide were on “high alert” in light of developments overseas. He announced that counterterrorism and intelligence teams had been mobilised and that Joint Terrorism Task Forces across the country were operating around the clock to detect and disrupt potential threats.

“Our JTTFs throughout the country are working 24/7, as always, to address and disrupt any potential threats to the homeland,” Patel said, urging citizens to report suspicious activity to law enforcement.

Together, the statements painted a portrait of a nation grappling not only with the geopolitical reverberations of the strikes on Iran, but also with a deepening domestic debate over war, security and America’s role in a rapidly shifting world order.

With IANS inputs