Americans join foreign influencers at Khamenei funeral
Shafaq News- Tehran
400 foreign bloggers and social media influencers, including Americans, attended the six-day funeral ceremonies for Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization (ICRO), Mohammad Mehdi Imanipour, told Iran's Tasnim News on Sunday.
Among the participants was American influencer Jackson Hinkle, who appeared in videos leading English-language chants against the United States and Zionism during the funeral procession in Tehran.
❤️🇮🇷 DOWN WITH ZIONISTS! Thank you to my brother Hossein Taheri for allowing me to join you in Enqelab Square. pic.twitter.com/VOcIBIvEdG
— Jackson Hinkle 🇺🇸 (@jacksonhinkle) July 7, 2026
According to The Times, Hinkle, who describes himself as a supporter of "MAGA communism," regularly promotes pro-Russia and pro-Iran views on X, where he has about 3.8 million followers. He also announced in 2025 that he had relocated to Moscow.
The presence of American influencers at the funeral sparked backlash among Trump allies. Deputy Assistant to the President Sebastian Gorka shared a post referencing the US treason statute, fueling calls to prosecute those who attended the funeral.
18 U.S. Code § 2381 https://t.co/xGYcFjlpQ9
— Rebeccah Heinrichs (@RLHeinrichs) July 7, 2026
Khamenei, who led Iran from 1989 until his death in US and Israeli strikes on February 28, was buried earlier this week at the Imam Reza Holy Shrine in Mashhad after six days of funeral processions across Iran and Iraq. Iranian state media said the ceremonies drew officials from more than 45 countries and millions of mourners, including large crowds in the Iraqi cities of Najaf and Karbala.
Read more: Analysts: Political messaging in Khamenei's Iraqfuneral
