At a June 13 news conference, a spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned the terrorist attack at an Orlando nightclub. “The Islamic Republic of Iran, based on its principles of condemning terrorism and its determination to completely and seriously confront this phenomenon, condemns the latest terrorist attack in Orlando,” said Hossein Jaber-Ansari.
The attack early June 12 by a man who reportedly pledged allegiance to the terrorist group Islamic State (IS) left 49 people dead and 53 wounded. The coverage by Iranian media of the shooting has been revealing, as the attacker targeted a gay nightclub. Homosexuality is illegal in Iran and is usually tried under the crime of sodomy, rape or adultery and usually carries the punishment of flogging and even possibly the death penalty. While Iran has outlawed homosexuality, it has a different view of transgender issues and even subsidizes sex change operations. Because of this, it has one of the highest sex change rates in the world.