LA County Sheriff’s Department Apologizes for Iran Condolence Post

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Published Jul 6, 2025, 06:00 PM

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deleted a social-media message on 23 June that offered condolences to “victims” of the previous weekend’s U.S. air-strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and described the operation as a “tragic event.” The post, shared on the department’s X, Facebook and Instagram accounts, also said LASD was increasing patrols at places of worship and other sensitive sites even though “there are no known threats to Los Angeles County.”

After screenshots circulated widely, the department first removed the reference to Iran, then took the message down entirely amid criticism that a local law-enforcement agency was weighing in on U.S. foreign-policy matters. The county is home to the nation’s largest Iranian-American community, but no casualties from the strikes have been reported by U.S. officials.

Late the same day, Sheriff Robert G. Luna’s office issued a statement calling the post “offensive and inappropriate,” saying it was released in error and “does not reflect the views of the Sheriff or the Department.” The agency said it does not comment on military affairs and announced an internal review to determine how the message was created and to tighten oversight of future communications.

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