A Vegas-based Iranian influencer who once went viral for celebrating US airstrikes on Iran by performing a Trump dance is now facing a deeply personal loss, revealing that her cousin has died amid the escalating conflict, in a story that’s igniting fierce debate online. While many critics have questioned her support for the war, she also clapped back at them, even calling it a “rescue mission” instead of an armed conflict.
Mooné Rahimi, a PhD student from Las Vegas, Nevada, and an outspoken supporter of Donald Trump, first captured global attention after posting a “Trump dance” video that racked up millions of views as bombs fell over Tehran. At the time, she framed the strikes as a step toward freedom from Iran’s ruling regime.
But in a series of emotional posts this week, Rahimi shared that her cousin has died back home. “I thought I would finally be happy if I moved to a great country like the USA,” she wrote. “But it didn’t happen because I’m watching my hometown getting ruined… Every night, one of us dies,” Rahimi added.
Rahimi posted a childhood photo of the two together, calling him her “beloved cousin” and writing that she was “in tears” as she processed the loss. She did not disclose exactly how he died, as airstrikes by the US and Israel continue targeting sites tied to Iran’s leadership. Despite the tragedy, Rahimi remains firm in her stance, placing full blame on Iran’s government rather than the ongoing bombardment.
“This is not a war; this is a rescue mission,” she insisted, pushing back against viral claims that her cousin was simply a casualty of war. “The reason I lost my cousin is only and only the Islamic regime.” Rahimi, at the time of writing, has refused to elaborate on how her Iranian cousin died.
People Online Continue to Call Her Out
Rahimi’s comments have sparked a wave of reactions online, with critics accusing her of supporting the very violence now affecting her family, while supporters argue she represents a growing number of Iranians who see foreign intervention as a path to liberation. “Honey How the World supposed to help? USA is already bombing! More bombs means more deaths! Can you for a moment pause and think instead of writing, talking and dancing!” rants an X commenter.
Prior to revealing that her cousin died in Iran, Rahimi had also drawn flak because she posted her viral Trump dance just days after a US Tomahawk missile hit a girl’s elementary school in Minab, Iran, causing more than 150 deaths (mostly children). Thus, more scathing comments accusing her of a lack of empathy were also thrown in the mix.
“Supporting Trump’s airstrikes was cool until it hit your own family, huh? Maybe don’t cheer for war when you’re safe abroad and then cry when the consequences reach home. The regime is brutal, but dancing for foreign bombs isn’t ‘resistance’, it’s naïve,” says a critic on X.
