Michigan Senate hopeful Abdul el Sayed declines to denounce Iran and its extremist groups

At a recent Michigan university town hall, Iman Dashti pressed Senate candidate Abdul el Sayed to denounce Iran’s theocratic leadership, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and related extremist actors. El Sayed answered only with vague language about U.S. restraint and solidarity with freedom movements, avoiding any direct criticism. The piece points out his contradictory foreign-policy positions: backing military aid to Ukraine while seeking to cut U.S. assistance to Israel, and his apparent sympathy for groups like Hezbollah.

It also cites leaked audio showing el Sayed instructing staff not to comment on the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to avoid upsetting Dearborn voters. Further, the article links him to controversial allies, including Hasan Piker, Amir Makled, and the Arab American Political Action Committee, and references a 2021 tweet that compared American casualties to those caused by U.S. actions abroad.