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The Washington Post described Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on Saturday, as having a “bushy white beard and an easy smile” in its obituary of the Iranian leader this weekend.
“With his bushy white beard and easy smile, Ayatollah Khamenei cut a more avuncular figure in public than his perpetually scowling but much more revered mentor, and he was known to be fond of Persian poetry and classic Western novels, especially Victor Hugo’s ‘Les Misérables.’ But like the uncompromising Khomeini, he opposed moderates’ efforts to promote political and social reforms domestically and to secure rapprochement with the United States,” the Post wrote in its obituary of supreme leader.
Khamenei, along with other top leaders, was killed after an Israeli strike in Tehran as part of a massive coordinated U.S.-Israeli military offensive called “Operation Epic Fury.”
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei addresses to the public on the occasion of the 47th anniversary of the Iranian Revolution according to Iranian state television in Tehran, Iran on February 9, 2026. (Iranian Leader Press Office/Anadolu/Getty Images)
The piece was met with pushback on social media. The obituary noted the leader was responsible for thousands of murders in a lengthy article about how he rose to power in Iran.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, wrote in response to WaPo’s paragraph on Khamenei, “this is sick.”
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Jennifer Sey, founder of XX-XY Athletics, described the paragraph in the Post as “peak TDS.”
Actor James Woods wrote, “This is not satire,” as he quoted the Post’s description of Khamenei.
The Washington Post faced backlash in 2019 after describing ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as an “austere religious scholar” in his obituary after his killing during Trump’s first term.
Some argued that the paragraph on the supreme leader was reminiscent of the al-Baghdadi headline.
The New York Times also used “avuncular” to describe Al Khamenei in its obituary.
The joint military operation against Iran is expected to carry on for days. Officials tell Fox News that Israel is targeting Iranian leadership, while the U.S. is targeting military targets and ballistic missile sites that pose an “imminent threat.”
President Donald Trump warned on Sunday against Iranian retaliation over the U.S. and Israeli strikes. He said that if Iran were to “hit very hard,” they would be met with “a force that has never been seen before.
The Washington Post did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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