Michigan student confronts El-Sayed over Iran stance in tense exchange: ‘Do you stand with us?’
WASHINGTON, DC: A Michigan student grilled Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed over his position on Iran during a town hall on Wednesday, citing his family's experiences under the Iranian government before repeatedly pressing the candidate on where he stood.
Iman Dashti, who identified himself as Persian, told El-Sayed during the University of Michigan town hall, called 'Students vs. Billionaires,' that members of his family had suffered under the Iranian government.
Michigan student presses El-Sayed on Iran stance
"My cousin was hunted in the streets of Iran by the IRGC because her hijab wasn't on right," Dashti said.
Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed responds to a visibly upset Iranian-American student at the University of Michigan, telling him that U.S. military interventions, sanctions, and regime-change wars often advance corporate interests and harm civilians, rather than promote… pic.twitter.com/NwUlCJQVsP
— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) September 23, 2026
He also alleged that her uncle was sentenced to death and received 50 lashes under the Iranian government.
Dashti then confronted El-Sayed over leaked audio from earlier this year in which he said he did not want to comment on the death of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei because "there are a lot of people in Dearborn who are sad today."
"That silence had a gaping hole in our community," Dashti told El-Sayed Wednesday.
Dashti asked El-Sayed whether he regretted that silence, whether he would renounce people who held vigils supporting Khamenei, and whether he stood "unequivocally against the IRGC" and the Islamic Republic of Iran.
El-Sayed responds to questions about Iran
El-Sayed argued that the US has too often acted as "the world's policeman," while saying he supported democracy and freedom movements abroad.
"One can disagree with the governance of a foreign country. One can stand in solidarity with freedom and democracy movements," El-Sayed said.
He went on to reject US-led regime change in Iran.
"I will always stand for and with democratic movements always," El-Sayed said.
"But I also don't believe that we were in the right to go to war to topple the government of Iran. It was not our responsibility to do. It is the responsibility of the people of Iran to decide what their leadership should look like."
Dashti pressed him again.
"You stand with us?" he asked.
"I will always stand with movements for freedom and democracy," El-Sayed responded, before again warning against US involvement in regime change.
"We should not be in the business of regime change," he said.
"But I also don't believe that we were in the right to go to war to topple the government of Iran. It was not our responsibility to do. It is the responsibility of the people of Iran to decide what their leadership should look like."
Dashti pressed him again.
"You stand with us?" he asked.
"I will always stand with movements for freedom and democracy," El-Sayed responded, before again warning against US involvement in regime change.
"We should not be in the business of regime change," he said.
El-Sayed added moments later, "I want freedom and democracy for the people of Iran, no question. But I want that to be done by the people of Iran, coming together as a community to decide how to create democratic change in their society."
El-Sayed's Michigan Senate race
El-Sayed, who won the Democratic primary in Michigan in August, is set to face Republican former representative Mike Rogers in the race to replace retiring Democratic Senator Gary Peters. The contest has drawn substantial attention and spending from both sides.
