Iran-Based "Malcolm X Foundation" Organizes Anti-American Events Across Major Cities
An Iran-based group is leveraging Malcolm X's controversial legacy to coordinate anti-American and pro-IRGC messaging across U.S. cities with the help of American activist organizations
On May 19, 2026—Malcolm X's birthday—an Iran-based organization calling itself the "Malcolm X Foundation" or "Path of Malcolm" is organizing events across four U.S. cities and Tehran, in coordination with American activist organizations, media companies, and Iranian cultural producers. All of the May 19 events are being promoted with the tagline "From Iran to the stolen lands of America," positioning American territory through a delegitimization framework aligned with Iranian regime rhetoric.
The coordinated messaging frames the Islamic Republic of Iran as a natural ally of American Black communities in opposition to U.S. interests, establishing false kinship between the Iranian regime and marginalized American populations.
The organization explicitly identifies itself as "The Path Of Malcolm Foundation Based in Iran" on its Instagram profile. The naming convention—"Path of Malcolm" (Rah-e Malcolm)—appears to mirror the linguistic template Iran uses for official entities named after former Supreme Leaders and IRGC generals, such as "Path of Khomeini" and "Path of Soleimani."
U.S. Activist Groups Co-Hosting Iran-Linked Events Across Major Cities
The events are being co-hosted by three primary American activist organizations, each embedded in activist communities and positioned to access specific demographic and geographic audiences.
In Los Angeles, the event is being co-hosted by All Power Books, promoted on social media as "a collaborative event co-hosted with organizers on the ground in Tehran, Iran." Atlanta's event is being co-hosted by Win the Revolution, while the New York gathering is taking place in Harlem under the banner of NYC Anti-Repression Group (NYCARG).
The Los Angeles event features additional participating organizations, including Black Men Build LA and Tehrangeles Antiwar. One Army Media is serving as a promotion partner, providing outreach and event support across multiple cities.
Weaponizing Malcolm X for Regime Propaganda
During Operation Epic Fury—the U.S. military campaign to dismantle Iran's military threat—the Malcolm X Foundation promoted social media content depicting Iranian drones and missiles with images of Malcolm X and hip-hop artist Tupac Shakur superimposed on them.
The posts framed Iranian military strikes as "Iran Avenges Malcolm X" and "2Pac's Revenge Taken by Iran." The imagery explicitly connected Iranian weapons systems to American civil rights and cultural icons through social media posts that deployed regime rhetoric positioning Iranian military strikes as so-called acts of resistance: "From Palestine to the Bronx, from Lebanon to Atlanta—one struggle, one front" and "Now that the world has seen the true face of US imperialism.”
By positioning Iran as defender of Black Americans against U.S. imperialism, the foundation attempts to create a false solidarity that serves Iranian regime interests rather than Black American liberation. The deliberate use of deceased Black activists and cultural figures instrumentalizes their legacies to manufacture consent for Iranian military operations.
The technical questions surrounding these propaganda materials warrant scrutiny. The placement of Malcolm X and Tupac imagery on Iranian military hardware during active combat operations, paired with the Malcolm X Foundation's simultaneous promotion of these images, raises questions about potential coordination between the group and Iranian military-media operations, or the extent to which the group operates in alignment with regime propaganda objectives.
On April 5, 2026, Erfan Nikookalam, a figure affiliated with the Malcolm X Foundation, posted a video on social media standing next to a child wearing military fatigues in front of a banner of deceased African-American activists and hip-hop artists. In the video, Nikookalam stated that Iranians are honoring Black martyrs during the war, while the caption read: "Iran is bringing an end to American hegemony."
Social media footage posted by the Malcolm X Foundation from a pro-regime event in Tehran captured an activist stating: "Now the Iranians are saying it's time to rise up against this one enemy and unite under one god whether you are Christian or Muslim” in reference to the U.S.
The rhetoric demonstrates the foundation's attempt to extend its anti-American messaging beyond Black American communities, positioning the Iranian regime as a unifying force across religious lines and framing opposition to the U.S. as a religious and moral imperative. By invoking Christian symbolism alongside Islamic theology, the foundation seeks to weaponize religious identity as a vehicle for anti-American sentiment across diverse American communities.
Event With Regime Official Who Issued Fatwa on Trump
In May 2025, the Malcolm X Foundation organized a Malcolm X commemoration event in Tehran that featured prominent participation from Iran’s political establishment. The event’s attendance included Manouchehr Mottaki, a member of Iran’s Islamic Consultative Assembly and the country’s former Foreign Minister. Mottaki holds a documented record of making explicit calls for violence, including a previous fatwa calling for the killing of U.S. President Donald Trump.
The event’s speakers included Mani Armaghan who served as secretary of the event, and Divanchi, the foundation’s “Head of International Affairs.”
Armaghan stated at the event that "Malcolm X is a noble figure who did not remain silent in the face of oppression, discrimination, and domination and was martyred," framing Malcolm X's legacy within Iranian regime martyr culture. Divanchi addressed attendees with messaging explicitly designed to target Black Americans: “To our black family in America, your struggle is our struggle.”
Co-Opting Malcolm X's Legacy
The Malcolm X Foundation's May 2026 coordinated events appear designed to instrumentalize American civil rights history for Iranian state propaganda purposes. By co-opting Malcolm X's controversial legacy—a figure of genuine historical significance to Black American political thought—and by establishing apparent ties with American activist organizations, the group appears to work toward creating rhetorical and institutional bridges between Iranian regime interests and American activist communities, particularly those focused on anti-imperialism, Palestinian solidarity, and anti-American rhetoric.
The operation systematically exploits genuine grievances within Black American communities regarding systemic racism and U.S. foreign policy to advance Iranian regime propaganda objectives. By establishing apparent grassroots networks and co-opting civil rights symbolism, Iran seeks to weaponize Black American activism as a force multiplier for regime interests, creating artificial kinship claims that obscure Iran's use of these communities for geopolitical advantage
Iran blaming America for Malcolm X's assassination? The Nation of Islam had him killed.