Ted Cruz Suggests Killing Iran’s Ayatollah: ‘We May Have To Help Introduce Him To The 72 Virgins’

It may have been an attempt at humor by Senator Ted Cruz, intimating that if Iran were to continue seeking nuclear weapons under his hypothetical presidential watch, the Ted Cruz administration would kill Iran’s ayatollah, but many non-Ted Cruz supporters are outraged by the Senator’s comment.

CNN reports that Ted Cruz was making a speech before the Values Voter Summit in Washington, when he addressed the Iran nuclear deal, an issue that Cruz often publicly speaks of, and not in a supportive fashion. In fact, given the opportunity, Cruz says he would take the Iran nuclear deal and “rip (it) to shreds” on his first day as president.

But along with tearing up the Iran nuclear deal, in his speech Ted Cruz also let fly his gibe about killing the ayatollah if Iran continued pursuing nuclear weapons.

“And if the ayatollah doesn’t understand that, we may have to help introduce him to the 72 virgins,” said Cruz.

The tongue-in-cheek, and presumably sarcastic remark by Ted sent the crowd into a jovial uproar with cheers, laughter, and general approval.

But not everyone saw Ted Cruz’s swipe at the ayatollah as a harmless joke.

Some, such as the left-leaning Occupy Democrats website, called Ted Cruz out for both the perceived threat to Iran’s ayatollah, and the Republican Senator’s referring to the “misconception” that Islamic extremists believe that a martyred death will greet them with 72 virgins.

In response to Ted Cruz’s ayatollah and 72 virgins comments, the Occupy Democrats website made clear what they thought of Cruz’s message.

“In a breathtaking show of dangerous extremism and astounding disrespect for (our) nation, our president, and the international community, Cruz announced that on his first day as President, he would “rip to shreds” the Iranian nuclear peace deal and threatened to kill Iran’s leaders. ‘If the ayatollah [Sayyid Ali Khamenei] doesn’t understand that, we may have to help introduce him to the 72 virgins’ (Referring to the misconception that virgins await Islamic martyrs in heaven). The enormity of those statement(s) is simply astounding and enormously offensive. This man, who is apparently running to be the leader of the free world, finds it acceptable to make casual death threats toward world leaders and speaks frivolously about starting major international wars.”

At the same time, Ted Cruz’s speech to the Values Voter Summit including a decidedly conservative brand of humor wasn’t unlike the majority of Cruz’s speeches, and the Senator’s being critical of the Iran nuclear deal certainly is not a surprise. In fact, according to Cruz, President Obama’s support of the deal makes Obama the “leading financier” of state-sponsored terrorism.

Speaking of President Obama, Ted Cruz also included in his speech another crack aimed at the president, which Occupy Democrats interpreted as calling for Obama’s arrest, Cruz saying, “If they can project a rainbow on the White House, maybe they can put bars on the windows!”

In more political humor, Ted Cruz also said that the Democrats should have their upcoming debate at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, which houses a military prison, and where inmates from Guantanamo Bay may be relocated.

[Image by Sean Rayford, Getty Images]