New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani slammed joint U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Iran in a statement Saturday \u2014 without placing fault with Tehran in his reaction.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mamdani released a statement that reiterated his police department\u2019s earlier pledge to boost local security, and also attacked Israel and the United States for \u201can illegal war of aggression.\u201d But unlike other Democrats who have spoken out<\/a> against the air campaign, he mentioned neither the atrocities committed by the Iranian regime against its own citizens, nor President Donald Trump, with whom he met just days ago.<\/p>\n \u201cToday\u2019s military strikes on Iran \u2014 carried out by the United States and Israel \u2014 mark a catastrophic escalation in an illegal war of aggression. Bombing cities. Killing civilians. Opening a new theater of war,\u201d he wrote. \u201cAmericans do not want this. They do not want another war in pursuit of regime change. They want relief from the affordability crisis. They want peace.\u201d<\/p>\n The NYPD declared Saturday morning it was \u201cclosely monitoring\u201d the situation in the Middle East and working with federal and international law enforcement. It further promised pre-emptive steps to increase security at potential targets, though it did not indicate whether it was aware of any specific threat.<\/p>\n \u201cAs is our protocol and out of an abundance of caution, we will be enhancing patrols to sensitive locations throughout the city, including diplomatic, cultural, religious, and other relevant sites,\u201d the department tweeted.<\/p>\n The NYPD did not respond to queries about specific actions, but videos on social media showed members of the department\u2019s Counter-Terrorism Task Force at Manhattan\u2019s iconic Temple Emanu-El<\/a> as well as outside the Iranian consulate<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Gov. Kathy Hochul similarly vowed that she would deploy state troopers to guard vulnerable sites, even as she said \u201cthere were no specific, credible threats to New York.\u201d She noted the impending start of Purim Monday night as cause to coordinate with the leaders of the Jewish community.<\/p>\n \u201cState Police are increasing their presence at religious, diplomatic, and cultural sites statewide in coordination with federal, state, and local law enforcement partners,\u201d the Democrat wrote in a statement. \u201cAdditionally, in advance of the Jewish holiday of Purim, State Police remain alert and have already begun outreach to religious organizations to offer support.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, organizations affiliated with China-based left-wing tech tycoon Neville Roy Singham \u2014 known for promoting geopolitical narratives favorable to Beijing and its allies in Moscow and Tehran \u2014 including the People\u2019s Forum<\/a> and CODE PINK<\/a> kicked off a protest against the strikes in Times Square on Saturday\u00a0 afternoon. <\/p>\n