Iranian Jews have denounced the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh under pressure from the country’s oppressive regime, an expert on Iranian Jews told the Jerusalem Post. 

Beni Sabti, a leading expert on the 9,000 Jews remaining in Iran, said the community’s criticism of the killing of the Hamas military leader is inspired by the fear they experience of being punished for an assassination reportedly carried out by Israel.

The letter by the Iranian Jewish community shows the signs of the pressure they face and includes the sentence, “The Zionists killed him in Tehran.”

The letter continued, “The terror action against Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran was a crime and a terror attack and against international law. This martyr worked for freeing Jerusalem. He was under attack all his life, and he lost some of his family. He is now a martyr for defending Gaza and the poor Gaza people.”

The letter concluded, “The Jewish community pays condolences to the Palestinian hero, Ismail Haniyeh, and all the resistance warriors, including the Iranian leader. The Jewish community is waiting for a hard reaction against the terrorists who killed Haniyeh.”

Sabti explains the letter arises out of the fear and pressure experienced by Iranian Jews.

He explained, “They are so afraid of some regime groups, like Iranian regime’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Basij, who can attack the Jews so they have to do this [publish an anti-Israel letter].”

Regarding the letter, Sabti said, “This is the most humiliating message I ever saw. This is much worse than Al Quds Day and the demonstrations after October 7.”

In 2023, the Jewish community in Iran was forced to take part in the anti-Zionist Al Quds Day, an event to call for the destruction of Israel, on Passover.

The 9,000 Jews remaining in Iran out of a total population of 90 million are treated like second-class citizens, a status known in Islamic societies as dhimmis.

Iran’s government imposed the dhimmi status on Jews in the country by forcing them to vote and creating polling stations and election events only for Jews, treatment described by the US State Department as “deplorable.”

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