Western Islamists Respond to the Memorandum of Understanding with Iran

[7/6/2026: We will continue to update this article as we come across additional examples.]

Since the news of the U.S.–Iran Memorandum of Understanding broke, there have been many critical reactions across the American political spectrum. Among Islamists in the United States and their affiliates, reactions have been far more favorable—albeit some have lamented what they viewed as a lost opportunity for the Islamic Republic to make even greater gains.

Usama Abdulghani, an American Shia cleric who attended seminary in Iran, commented on the MOU in his June 18 sermon delivered in Dearborn, Michigan. With a framed photograph of the late Ayatollah Khamenei beside him, Abdulghani posed the question: “How do we, as believers, feel about the memorandum of understanding that just took place between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran?” Abdulghani referred to the Islamic Republic’s current Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, as “Imam”—an honorific traditionally used by Shia Muslims for the spiritual and political successors of Islam’s prophet, Muhammad.

According to a “very important statement” by “the Imam,” Abdulghani said, “the empire [the United States] was desperate to make this happen.” He added that Mojtaba Khamenei, though displeased with the agreement, allowed it because President Pezeshkian pledged to “uphold the rights of the Iranians and the Axis of Resistance.” The decision, Abdulghani remarked, “did not have the baraka [blessing] of the good will of the Leader. It was imposed.” However, “this doesn’t mean that Imam Mojtaba is weak or that, umm, he’s not in charge. No, no. That’s not what this means.” He clarified, “It means for all of us as believers, there are lessons in this for us: we haven’t done enough that this happened. We didn’t do enough.” Abdulghani did not explain what his congregation in America should have done to secure the Islamic Republic’s victory over the United States, but reassured them:

Mohammad Ali Elahi, the leader of the Islamic House of Wisdom in Dearborn Heights, MI, posted, “The entire world is celebrating while the warmongers in Tel Aviv are mourning.” The graphic he used for his statement came from the Islamic Republic of Iran News Agency, featuring a carefully composed photo of Iranian President Pezeshkian proudly holding the signed memorandum with Ayatollahs Khomeini and Khameini pictured overhead.

In an interview with a local reporter on June 15, just days before the leaked details of the memorandum were eventually confirmed, Elahi said about the U.S. and Israel: “I hope they learn that, and especially with the Iranians, that the word of [sic] ‘unconditional surrender’ doesn’t work for this nation, with their civilization, with their culture, with their history, with their religious values. They are not going to surrender to injustice and oppression.”

In his sermon on Friday, June 19, he gave praise for the memorandum and the first article regarding Lebanon, which foreseeably benefits Hezbollah. Regarding Israeli “occupiers,” he preached, “can you imagine of [sic] this racism, this terrorism, this fascism, this evilness? What kind of animals these guys are?” He also remarked on Vice President Vance’s rebuke of Israel, “You know, Iranians are very smart. Now they are watching all of this.”

Concerning the Islamic Republic, he added, “The fact that they showed that there is no such thing as ‘unconditional surrender’ that is the victory that is real, in a sincere way.”

On the following Friday, June 26, Elahi brought up Israel about 34 minutes into his sermon: “They’ve been doing everything to destroy that memorandum and start war again, and I hope this time Trump doesn’t give up to the evil influence of this Iblis, this Shaytan [Satan], and doesn’t sell American influence and integrity to this devil, to this monster, to this [sic] warmongers.”

The US Palestinian Community Network, a Palestinian nationalist organization with Islamist connections, declared that America was “defeated by the Axis of Resistance,” a euphemism for the Islamic Republic and its terror proxies: Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, and others. They added that the MOU was a “blow to U.S. empire.”

Daniel Haqiqatjou, founder of the Muslim Skeptic, said of the Iranian regime: “What they did was amazing, unexpected, historical. One for the history books, no doubt about it. But you always can’t help but wonder, like, what could have been? Like, what if they had just stayed the course? Like, what if they had just been a little bit more offensive.” He added “there’s kind of lost opportunity” for the Islamic Republic against the U.S. and Israel.

Regarding the MOU, Haqiqatjou proclaimed: “It is a win in the overarching war where you have the U.S. and Israel against the Muslims. Like, that grand war, I think it’s a win.” He also tweeted about the sixth article, “Trump should get the $300 billion reconstruction costs for Iran by taxing Jewish Americans.” Then, and still now at the time of this writing, it was unclear if those funds would come from taxpayers, other countries, or private capital.

Hatem al-Haj, a senior member of the Fatwa Committee of the Assembly of Muslim Jurists of America, wrote on Facebook on June 14, “Now many Iranians, and many Muslims beyond Iran, will celebrate what they see as a magnificent victory.” He added that the Islamic Republic of Iran was “indeed, even heroic in its pursuit” to spread its influence.

Sami Hamdi, an affiliate of Baitulmaal, a Texas-based Islamist charity that has funded Hamas proxies in Gaza, appeared on the Thinking Muslim podcast on June 19 to discuss the MOU. Hamdi has expressed support for terrorism in the past. (In a speech following Hamas’s October 7 attacks against Israelis, Hamdi expressed a feeling of “euphoria” and exclaimed “Allahu Akbar!”) On the podcast, he said, “Trump has decided to cut his losses…because it just seems to be getting worse for [him].” He added: “Iran today is stronger than it was before the war. Iran has demonstrated that it can withstand the onslaught of a U.S. superpower.”

Ryan Costello, Policy Director at the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), posted on X: “Ending the Iran war is a good thing. So is the Memorandum of Understanding. It isn’t a threat to American security, but it is a threat to the Washington mindset that any U.S-Iran outcome is ultimately zero-sum and that Iran’s gain is an American loss.” NIAC is regarded as serving the interests of Tehran and, in 2012, lost a defamation suit against such a claim.

Trita Parsi, former head of NIAC and co-plaintiff in the case, has also been outspoken in his support for the MOU. (U.S. District Judge John D. Bates, who dismissed Parsi and NIAC’s suit, wrote that statements made by him, were “not inconsistent with the idea that he was first and foremost an advocate for the regime.”) On July 19, he posted a segment from his appearance on Steve Bannon’s War Room, where he welcomed the lifting of sanctions on the Islamic Republic. On July 17, Parsi explained on X: “I oppose sanctions and believe political change in Iran - from the inside - is more likely if the economy and populace can breathe.” He wrote about the “failed war of choice” on Substack, calling out Democrats for opposing the memorandum. “The criticism coming from some Democrats is particularly disappointing,” Parsi argued, “because it echoes the same bad-faith tactics Republicans deployed against the JCPOA in 2015.” He further argues, “Rather than attacking the terms of the MOU, Democrats should pressure the administration to protect it.”

Statements from the “woke right,” notably from Tucker Carlson, have been amplified by American Islamists such as Hassan Shibly. An internet personality and founder of Muslim Legal, Shibly shared Carlson’s comments on Israel’s exclusion from negotiations with Iran.

In the clip Shibly shared, Carlson reacts to a statement by Trump about Israel’s absence from negotiations, saying: “‘We sent Israel a copy of the agreement.’ Oh, you sent them a copy, did you? You BCC’ed them? We just reached the outline of a peace agreement with a country we are fighting with Israel without consulting Israel, bitch!” Other, anonymous pro-terror accounts on X also celebrated Carlson’s quote concerning the sidelining of Israel.

Various anonymous, pro-Islamist accounts on X shared viral remarks from Nick Fuentes, the notorious far-right podcaster. Fuentes says, “Congratulations, Iran! You fought hard. You left it all on the field, and you won. God bless the Islamic Republic of Iran!” He adds: “White pilled again! America, the Great Satan, under the control of Israel, has lost.”

In another shared clip, Fuentes declares: “Shiites are the real Muslims. Never forget who fought for the Palestinians. Never forget who fought Israel for the whole world, for all goyim. It was Iran. It was the Shiites. Supreme Leader, if you can hear me: thank you.” Hand raised in salute to the dead dictator responsible for the deaths of approximately 40,000 Iranians, he continues: “Supreme Leader, if you can hear me: Thank you. Thank you for taking on Israel for all the goyim when no one else would. From a grateful planet, thank you, Supreme Leader Khamenei. From a grateful world, thank you for standing up to Israel on behalf of all goyim. Those Sunni dogs would never.” His remarks also went viral on Persian-language X.

Hasan Piker, the far-left influencer and supporter of the Democratic Socialists of America, also viewed Iran as the victor. On June 17, he posted on X: “iran won. not yesterday. it won when it closed the strait of hormuz after we attacked.” The next day on his Twitch stream, he spoke about the symbolism of the MOU signing at Versailles, comparing it to the Treaty of Versailles that ended the First World War. Piker said: “We are Germany in this equation, let’s be real.” He argued that the MOU means “the Trump administration obviously taking this ginormous L” in a war that was “at the behest of Israel” and Benjamin Netanyahu.

With over 3 million followers on Twitch, Piker has promoted anti-Zionist and anti-Semitic rhetoric while supporting terrorist groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis. He has also broadcast propaganda produced by Hamas and the Houthis on his stream.

In his June 18 Twitch stream, Piker also criticized liberals and Democrats. According to him, they had failed to acknowledge before the war began that “Iran had always said that they were not going to procure or develop nuclear weapons.” In addition to his unquestioning stance toward promises made by the Islamic Republic regarding its nuclear program, he also displayed cynicism and sarcasm about Democrats’ concern for the 40,000 Iranian civilians slaughtered by the Islamic Republic this year. “Democrats, Dumbocrats,” Piker quipped, “kept repeatedly saying Iran can never have a nuclear weapon, Iran is a horrible authoritarian country, Iran is killing all of its protestors, Iran has killed 10 million Iranians with a nuclear weapon that only kills Iranian civilians that refuse to wear the hijab.”