Full Breakdown
American Influencer Joins Iran’s Ayatollah Funeral, Sparks U.S. Treason Calls
7/10/2026, 2:51:55 PM
Core Event: Jackson Hinkle’s Tehran Appearance
On July 7, 2024, California-born Jackson Hinkle, a 26-year-old American social-media influencer known for pro-Russia and pro-China commentary, attended the funeral of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran’s Enghelab Square. While holding a red flag bearing a Shia inscription meaning “revenge,” Hinkle led a call-and-response chant, shouting “Down with U.S.A.” and later “Down with Israel,” to which the crowd responded enthusiastically. Hinkle posted video footage of the ceremony and later wrote that “Iran has never been more united” as the nation mourned the ayatollah.
Background & Context: Khamenei’s Death and Operation Epic Fury
Ayatollah Khamenei was killed by U.S.–Israeli airstrikes on February 28, 2024, the first day of the military campaign dubbed Operation Epic Fury. Iranian state-linked Tasnim News Agency reported that an estimated 400 foreign nationals were permitted to travel to Tehran to pay respects, including at least four pro-Iran American activists: Hinkle, Christopher Helali, Max Blumenthal and Calla Walsh.
Official Statements & Responses
Mohammad Mehdi Imanipour, head of the Islamic Culture and Relations Organisation, confirmed the presence of foreign attendees and highlighted Iran’s openness to “those who support the revolution.” In the United States, former Trump deputy assistant Sebastian Gorka cited Title 18, Section 2381 of the U.S. Code—defining treason and prescribing the death penalty—as a legal basis for potential prosecution of Hinkle’s actions.
Criticism & Opposition
Conservative columnist Marc Thiessen labeled Hinkle a “traitor,” while MAGA activist Laura Loomer wrote on X: “Jackson Hinkle is a communist who lives in Russia and travels the world celebrating and meeting with terrorists and the enemies of America.” These statements reflect a broader conservative outcry demanding Hinkle’s arrest should he return to the United States.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Down with U.S.A.” — Jackson Hinkle, Influencer
- “Down with Israel” — Jackson Hinkle, Influencer
- “Iran has never been more united,” — Jackson Hinkle, X post
- “traitor” — Marc Thiessen, Columnist
- “Conservative newspaper columnist Marc Thiessen has called him a “traitor” and MAGA activist Laura Loomer has also attacked him, writing on X: “Jackson Hinkle is a communist who lives in Russia and travels the world celebrating and meeting with terrorists and the enemies of America.” — Laura Loomer, X post
