SAEDNEWS: Following his shocking Instagram plea to Israel to kill President Pezeshkian, City Councillor Reza Asheri has posted a second story insisting his comments were merely “humor,” claiming he only sought to lift public spirits amid tough times.
According to Saed News, Reza Asheri, a member of Rasht’s Islamic City Council, has attempted to defuse the uproar triggered by his earlier Instagram story in which he not only insulted President Masoud Pezeshkian but also implored the Israeli government to carry out his assassination. Despite facing legal proceedings for “disturbing public opinion” and an official summons issued by the Gilan Provincial Prosecutor’s Office, Asheri took to social media once more.
In his follow‑up Instagram story, Asheri described his incendiary post as “a joke,” writing: “I’m a humorous person… in these hard societal conditions, I thought I might put a smile on people’s faces.” He framed his suggestion to Israel as nothing more than a wry attempt at satire, rather than a serious call for foreign intervention.
Local judicial sources confirm that Asheri is already under investigation for incitement and potential threats to national security. The prosecutor’s office has emphasized that elected officials remain subject to Iranian penal code, and that invoking or encouraging violence—even under the guise of humor—carries severe penalties.
Political analysts say Asheri’s “humor” defense is unlikely to satisfy either the judiciary or the public. “Encouraging assassination—even facetiously—is far beyond acceptable public discourse,” commented one Tehran‑based legal expert. “His attempt to recast it as a harmless jest may only harden the courts’ resolve to make an example of him.”
As the legal process unfolds, attention now turns to how local governing bodies and Pezeshkian’s administration will respond. For Iranians already grappling with economic hardship and social tension, the episode has added a jarring note—and underscored the limits of political humor in times of national stress.
