New York, New York - Mayor Zohran Mamdani has shared his thoughts after President Donald Trump announced the launch of military strikes against Iran.

In an X post Saturday, Mamdani said the strikes "mark a catastrophic escalation in an illegal war of aggression."

"Bombing cities. Killing civilians. Opening a new theater of war. Americans do not want this," Mamdani wrote.

"They do not want another war in pursuit of regime change. They want relief from the affordability crisis. They want peace."

The mayor went on to say he and local authorities have taken "proactive steps" to ensure the safety of the city, and assured Iranian New Yorkers that they are "safe here."

Trump had announced the strikes hours earlier, vowing to "annihilate" the country's nuclear program.

An hour after Mamdani shared his reaction, Trump said that Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had been killed in a strike.

While Republicans have been overwhelmingly supportive of the president's actions, many Democrats and other critics have voiced opposition, arguing that Trump did not get the necessary congressional approval before launching an act of war.

But some Republicans, such as former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, have argued that Trump has abandoned his "America First" values, which stand against overseas wars in favor of funding projects at home.