Jewish member of Iranian parliament tells Iranian Jews to avoid gatherings amidst 'Zionist regime attacks'

In a message to Iranian Jews, the sole Jewish member of the Iranian parliament Homayoun Sameh warned against gathering for celebrations amidst Israeli and U.S. strikes.

“Dear community members, in these sensitive times, refrain from holding any kind of celebration, even in private homes or kindergartens,” he said, according to a report from Ynet News. “I strongly advise you to take this final warning very seriously.”

The report said that Sameh “[acknowledged] that the Israeli Air Force…intended to avoid civilian casualties,” but nonetheless warned that the strikes posed a threat to all Iranians, including Iranian Jews.

“Missiles and shrapnel do not distinguish between nationality, religion or belief,” he said. “We are all Iranians, and we must defend this homeland from foreign aggression with unity, empathy and resolve.”

Sameh recently visited civilians who were injured in the strikes, which he referred to as “Zionist regime attacks.”

“We visited and expressed our condolences to a group of civilians wounded in the latest Zionist regime attacks and now hospitalized in Tehran,” he said.

Sameh, one of thousands of Jews still living in Iran, is a vocal critic of Israel and Zionism.

“Israel is committing war crimes – crimes against humanity,” he said after Israel’s recent attacks against Iran.

While rejecting Zionism, Sameh has criticized those in Iranian leadership who conflate Zionists with the Jewish people.

“All the Jews of the world should not be blamed for the crimes of the Zionist regime,” Sameh said last year. “Unfortunately, some officials of our country mistakenly use the word ‘Jew’ instead of ‘Zionist’ in their statements, which casts a shadow over the Jewish community in Iran.”

He has also spoken against the “death to Israel” slogan chanted by many of his fellow Iranians.

“It's better to talk about life and peace in the world, instead of wishing someone's death,” he said in a 2018 interview with PBS (Public Broadcasting Service). “I hope God guides us in the right path.