A Shi’ite scholar speaking at a mosque in Orlando, Florida praised Iran’s leadership and mocked President Trump during remarks made at a Ramadan gathering.
Sheikh Ibrahim Yassine, a resident scholar affiliated with the Islamic Institute of America in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, spoke at the Islamic Education Center in Orlando on March 6, 2026. During his speech, Yassine ridiculed President Trump for attempting to influence the selection of Iran’s new Supreme Leader following the assassination of Ali Khamenei.
Yassine described President Trump as a “stupid and crazy man” who believes he can influence Iran’s leadership, while claiming that Khamenei had done nothing wrong and was widely loved. He contrasted US leadership with Iran’s leadership, saying that those around Trump were “thugs and smugglers.”
On March 10, Yassine also congratulated Shi’ite Muslims on the selection of Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as Iran’s new Supreme Leader. He described the move as a “very important and blessed step” by Iran’s Assembly of Experts and praised the late Khamenei as a humble leader who “didn’t do anything bad to anybody.”
