Overview
- Calla Walsh appeared on Iran’s state broadcaster PressTV after attending Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s multi-day funeral and called him “the greatest anti-imperialist leader” of her lifetime.
- The interview showed Walsh wearing a hijab and traditional garb and included statements that framed Khamenei as a hero standing up to the United States and Israel.
- Walsh’s public turn to praising Iran’s leader intensified coverage because she earlier worked on U.S. Democratic campaigns and youth organizing, including volunteer roles with Elizabeth Warren’s 2020 effort and local Boston campaigns.
- Reporting notes Walsh’s past activism with groups such as the National Network on Cuba and CodePink, a 2023 arrest in a protest that targeted an Israeli company, and one outlet’s limited-sourcing claim that she founded Palestine Action US.
- Khamenei was killed on Feb. 28 in Israeli airstrikes and Iran held a multi-day funeral; critics cite the regime’s recent domestic crackdowns and high protest death tolls while right-leaning U.S. outlets emphasize Walsh’s shift from mainstream political work to pro-regime advocacy.