Stoking their seemingly ever-present ‘Billionaire vs Politician’ rivalry arc, American hedge fund manager Bill Ackman slammed New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s critique of the US and Israel’s joint military operation against Iran over the weekend.

The billionaire founder of investment management company Pershing Square Capital Management voiced his issues with the Indian-origin, Uganda-born politician in a social media post on Saturday, February 28.

Bill Ackman slams Zohran Mamdani over Iran strikes comment

Taking to his official X profile, he wrote, “So let me get this straight. You support the Khamanei regime that killed 38,000+ protesters and maimed hundreds of thousands more. A regime that has repeatedly called for Death to America and has killed thousands of our servicemen and citizens. One that has taken away women’s rights and freedoms for the Iranian people.”

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Directly referencing the words Mamdani used in his own tweet, Ackman said, “And then you call our efforts to destroy the evildoers a catastrophic escalation.”

Alluding to the NYC mayor’s staunch stance against the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, he added, “You also support those who attack our police force. You take the side of the criminals rather than the victims of violent actors in our city.”

Questioning his sense of morality, Ackman furiously ranted, “How is it that you can’t differentiate between good and evil? Why is this so hard for you?”

What Zohran Mamdani wrote about US’ strikes on Iran

Less than an hour before Ackman’s tirade, Mamdani weighed in on USA’s Operation Epic Fury, a measure backed by US President Donald Trump against Iranian military targets after the country in the Middle East refused to renounce nuclear weapons.

Calling the joint military attack on Iran carried out by the US and Israel a “catastrophic escalation in an illegal war of aggression,” he accused the authorities responsible of “opening a new theatre of war” and killing civilians. Asserting that Americans did not want such an outcome, Mamdani continued, “They do not want another war in pursuit of regime change. They want relief from the affordability crisis. They want peace.”

Pointing towards the steps he had initiated to ensure every New Yorker’s safety, the New York City leader said, “I have been in contact with our Police Commissioner and emergency management officials. We are taking proactive steps, including increasing coordination across agencies and enhancing patrols of sensitive locations out of an abundance of caution.”

Before concluding his post on X, he also called on Iranian New Yorkers, highlighting their significant presence and contributions as “neighbours, small business owners, students, artists, workers and community leaders,” while promising their safety in the US city.

Sana Ebrahimi, an Iranian-born PhD candidate and political commentator, shared Mamdani’s post and responded, “I say it as an Iranian New Yorker: You are a human garbage.”

“When our people were getting slaughtered and hunted like animals by the Islamic Republic terrorists, you stayed silent. You didn’t say a word. Now that the regime, the murderers of our people are under attack, you came out of the woodwork to defend them. You are an Islamist human garbage and I fight your agenda as long as I breathe,” she added on X.

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Ackman vs Mamdani intensifies

Even before their clash escalated over international relations, Ackman and Mamdani’s feud was fuelled by the New York City mayoral elections. The hedge fund manager previously called the Indian-origin politician’s win at the NYC Primary “depressing” and vowed to bankroll a centrist candidate against the democratic socialist last year.

He even ended up donating $1 million to a super PAC aiming to block Mamdani’s bid to become the NYC mayor ahead of the local elections, according to Bloomberg.

US-Israel’s war on Iran: How it began on Saturday

Ackman and Mamdani’s latest virtual crossfire came after Iranian media reported explosions in the capital, Tehran, on Saturday. Shortly after the news broke, Israel’s defence minister declared a state of emergency in the country, anticipating retaliation from Iran. In the meantime, the US also joined the conversation, with President Donald Trump soon confirming his nation’s participation in the attack as well.

While the US dubbed the strikes ‘Operation Epic Fury,” Israel called it “Operation Lion’s Roar.’ These strikes came just days after US-Iranian talks on Tehran’s nuclear program ended without a deal in place.

Consequently, Tehran launched its own retaliatory attacks on states that shared close ties with the US. Dubai in the United Arab Emirates especially emerged as one of the prime targets of the counter-strikes, and major landmarks like the world-famous luxury Fairmont The Palm hotel and the Dubai International Airport sustained damages in the process.

Other countries in the Middle East, including Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar, also suffered the ravages of the war following Iran’s response to the US-Israel joint operation. All of these states host US military bases.