The US State Department has dismissed an Iranian-American press officer after internal disputes over how to characterize Israeli policies in Gaza, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday, citing US officials and documents it reviewed.
The firing of Shahed Ghoreishi on Monday came days after a debate about whether to issue a statement that read, “We do not support forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza,” the Post said.
Ghoreishi drafted the line, which was vetoed by department leadership with instructions to “cut the line marked in red and clear,” according to a memo dated last week.
The Post said Ghoreishi also recommended expressing condolences after the targeted killing of Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif and several other journalists in Gaza City.
Israel said al-Sharif was a Hamas member, an allegation denied by Al Jazeera.
“We mourn the loss of journalists and express condolences to their families,” Ghoreishi proposed, but State Department leadership rejected the idea in an August 10 email, saying, “No response is needed. We can’t be sending out condolences if we are unsure of this individual’s actions.”
Ghoreishi told the Post he was given no explanation for his dismissal, which the State Department was not required to provide due to his contractor status.
“Despite a strong reputation and close working relationship with many of my colleagues, I was unable to survive these disputes,” he said, adding that the language he recommended had previously been cleared since President Donald Trump took office in January.
State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott declined to discuss the details. “We do not comment on leaked emails or allegations,” he told the Post. “Federal employees should never put their personal political ideologies ahead of the duly elected president’s agenda.”
US officials said the firing has sent a chilling message inside the department that deviations from pro-Israel language will not be tolerated, even when they align with past US policy, the Post reported.
The Post added that Trump’s language on Israel has varied from critical to strongly supportive, allowing different factions to claim alignment with him.
On Wednesday, Ghoreishi faced criticism from far-right activist Laura Loomer, an informal Trump adviser, who called him a “Pro-Iranian Regime Jihadi Muslim Tied To NIAC.” Ghoreishi said he interned at the National Iranian American Council in 2013.
