This morning many people are wondering if the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei, actually has a sense of humor. Historically, the Ayatollahs of Iran have not given the world much to laugh about, but that may have just changed.
This past week was notable for the thoughtless and senseless way that President Donald Trump trashed the Iran Nuclear Deal. The leader of Iran was not happy, and tweeted his response. Fighting back through Twitter was probably the idea of one of his younger staff members, however. Ayatollahs are also not known for their creative use of social media platforms.
What’s hilarious about Khamenei’s tweet is that it is a photo of himself on Instagram reading Michael Wolff’s “Fire and Fury.”
The Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei, posted a photo of himself reading a copy of Fire & Fury on his official Instagram. Likely a suggestion from one of his advisors or someone in the intelligence directorate in an attempt to piss Trump off. Ridiculous. pic.twitter.com/yApbsWUdRB
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— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) May 11, 2018
Wolff’s bestseller created quite the uproar earlier this year with its confidential insider accounts of what went on inside Donald Trump’s White House during his first year in office. It also went to the top of all the bestseller lists, and apparently even was widely read in Iran. It’s not clear from Khamenei’s photo if the copy of “Fire and Fury” that he’s reading was a Persian translation or not, although it might be.
To say that Wolff’s book created controversy and bad publicity for Donald Trump would be an understatement. Therefore we can safely assume that the photo is intended to be an insult to the president.
As we’ve previously pointed out, Trump’s move on the Iran deal is not really a laughing matter, and could lead to war and other dire consequences. The United States may find itself directly involved in another Middle East conflict that the American people don’t want.
Some people have speculated that if Trump begins economic sanctions against Iran again that they will go ahead and develop nuclear weapons, probably leading to war with Israel. By deciding on his own to leave an international agreement with Iran and our closest allies, Trump has shown he is more of a maverick than a real leader.
Let’s hope that Khamenei’s photo is not prophetic, and that he will not actually create new “Fire and Fury” between Iran and its enemies. If he does, then we have only Donald Trump to blame.
I am a lifelong Democrat with a passion for social justice and progressive issues. I have degrees in writing, economics and law from the University of Iowa.
