A University of Michigan student challenged Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed over his views on Iran during a town hall Wednesday, citing alleged persecution suffered by members of his family and repeatedly asking whether the candidate supported Iranians resisting the government.
Iman Dashti, who described himself as Persian, told El-Sayed that his family had endured mistreatment under Iran’s ruling regime during the event at the university.
“My cousin was hunted in the streets of Iran by the IRGC because her hijab wasn’t on right,” Dashti said.
Dashti also alleged that his cousin’s uncle had been sentenced to death and subjected to 50 lashes by Iranian authorities.
He then questioned El-Sayed about leaked audio from earlier this year, in which the candidate 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 on Wednesday.
Dashti asked whether El-Sayed regretted remaining silent, would disavow people who held vigils in support of Khamenei and stood “unequivocally against the IRGC” and Iran’s Islamic Republic.
El-Sayed replied that the United States has too often assumed the role of “the world’s policeman,” while emphasizing his support for democratic and pro-freedom movements around the world.
“One can disagree with the governance of a foreign country. One can stand in solidarity with freedom and democracy movements,” El-Sayed said.
He also opposed a U.S.-led effort to remove Iran’s government from power.
“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 continued to press the candidate.
“You stand with us?” he asked.
“I will always stand with movements for freedom and democracy,” El-Sayed replied, again cautioning against U.S. participation in regime change.
“We should not be in the business of regime change,” he said.
El-Sayed later added, “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.”
Fox News Digital contacted El-Sayed’s campaign for further comment on the exchange and sought to reach Dashti through Instagram.
El-Sayed won Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary in August and is now challenging Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers for the seat held by retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters. The race has attracted significant national attention and campaign spending.
The discussion over Iran was one of several notable moments during Wednesday’s “Students vs. Billionaires” town hall at El-Sayed’s alma mater.
While discussing public health infrastructure, El-Sayed appeared to make a prediction about the party and the gender that will win the White House in 2028.
“I’m looking forward to working with the next Democratic president when she takes office in 2029,” El-Sayed said, adding that he hoped to work with that administration to modernize the nation’s public health infrastructure.
El-Sayed did not identify whom he had in mind.
His remarks came as former Vice President Kamala Harris, the 2024 Democrat presidential nominee, returned to Michigan to campaign with El-Sayed. Harris has not announced a 2028 presidential campaign.
El-Sayed also criticized President Trump and Vice President JD Vance during the event.
“Donald Trump and JD Vance can’t seem to keep my name out their mouth,” El-Sayed said. “They don’t really know how to say it, though, which is fine, because I believe in teaching opportunities.”
Trump and other national Republicans have repeatedly targeted El-Sayed during the midterm campaign, while El-Sayed has responded by criticizing the president.
“As he noted in his response, Abdul will always stand with movements for freedom and democracy, and he condemns government anti-free speech violence,” Roxie Richner, El-Sayed’s campaign spokesperson, said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“Abdul has also been clear that the United States should not be in the business of spending our tax dollars abroad on regime change wars that take our service members’ lives, waste our tax dollars and raise our prices. He believes American taxpayer dollars are best spent here at home to invest in infrastructure, education and healthcare.”
