US Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz) has slammed a widely circulated online petition claiming she has secret links to Iran.
The petition, signed by more than 13,000 people, shared a doctored image of Ansari in what looks like a turban in front of the Iranian flag.
It called for an investigation into “undisclosed foreign lobbying and ties” between her and Iran, which America is currently at war with. The petition provides no evidence of the rumored ties.
The petition was started two weeks ago by an individual named Azadeh Izadi, a self-described member of the Iranian-American community. An inquiry to Izadi was sent through the petition website.
A spokesman for Ansari referred the Post to a Tuesday statement where she lashed out at the alleged ties to Iran as “hateful rhetoric, lies, cruel and deliberate misinformation.” Ansari is the first Iranian American Democrat in Congress.
“Bad actors have tried to smear my family and staff by circulating fake and AI-generated images and flat-out lying that my parents and I are not U.S. citizens.
“They have pushed xenophobic and sexist attacks and amplified absurd conspiracy theories about my family,” she said in her statement.
The idea she is tied to the Iranian regime, she went on, is an “outright lie.”
She said the attacks worsened since she introduced an attempt to impeach U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.
Ansari opposes the war, but she also stated she opposed Iran’s government as her family personally experienced the regime’s heavy hand.
“Let me reiterate, once again, that I have been unequivocal in my opposition to the brutal Islamic Republic regime, its repression of women, and its support for terrorism,” she said.
The petition claimed it was looking out for the best interests of national security.
The congresswoman previously said she has complicated feelings around the conflict with Iran, even acknowledging that a good number of Iranians abroad support President Donald Trump’s actions against the regime.
Still, Ansari said she fears that mismanagement by the Trump administration could lead to unintended consequences.
