Piers Morgan pushes Mehdi Hasan on Khamenei’s death, says answers were evasive

LONDON, UK: A tense exchange unfolded between British broadcaster Piers Morgan and journalist Mehdi Hasan during a discussion about the death of Ali Khamenei, as Morgan repeatedly pressed Hasan to say whether he was pleased that Khamenei was no longer ruling the country.

The conversation, which took place on Morgan’s program and premiered on March 11, Wednesday, quickly turned into a prolonged debate over the implications of the killing of a foreign head of state and religious figure.

Morgan asked a direct question about Hasan’s reaction to Khamenei no longer being in power, even as Hasan avoided giving a clear yes-or-no answer.

Hasan attempts to deflect a direct question

The discussion began with Morgan posing what he described as a straightforward question. “Are you pleased that the now dead Ayatollah Khameini, the older Khameini, is no longer ruling Iran?"

Instead of answering directly, Hasan responded by condemning the killing of foreign leaders and stressing the religious significance Khamenei held for many followers.

“I don't take pleasure in killing anyone. I don't think you should have illegally killed the leader, a foreign leader of a nation who's also, by the way, a spiritual leader to millions around the world.”

Hasan noted that although Khamenei was not his own spiritual leader, the Iranian figure held major influence among many people globally.

As Morgan continued listening, Hasan shifted the discussion toward what he described as the potential fallout from the killing of a head of state and religious authority.

“To kill him, on day one of the war will have insane consequences,” Hasan argued that such an action could provoke retaliation and long-term instability in the region.

He also pointed out that the leadership situation in Iran had not fundamentally changed. “They replaced Ayatollah Khamenei with Ayatollah Khamenei”, said Hasan.

Piers Morgan asks for a direct answer

After Hasan’s lengthy response, Morgan noted that the question itself had not been answered. 

“My actual question is brilliantly deflected. My actual question was, are you pleased that he's no longer ruling Iran?”

Hasan again avoided giving a direct yes-or-no response, saying the question could not be considered without context.

“It's a loaded question. It's not a question you can answer in a vacuum.” He also reiterated that he opposed the system of clerical rule in Iran but did not support removing leaders.

“I don't support any ayatollahs being in charge of Iran. But I don't think you should kill them in order to get rid of them.”

Morgan attempted several more times to obtain a clear answer, emphasizing that he was only asking about Hasan’s view on Khamenei no longer ruling the country.

“I'll just try one more time, I'm simply asking, are you pleased that he's no longer ruling the country?”

Hasan continued to avoid giving a direct answer, arguing that saying “yes” could be interpreted as endorsing the circumstances surrounding Khamenei’s death.

“If I say yes to that question, does that mean I'm supporting what Trump and Netanyahu did? No.”

As Morgan again pointed out that the question remained unanswered, Hasan ultimately declined to respond directly.

“I'm not going to answer your question out of any context for you to clip this out of context. No. Nice try.”