WASHINGTON D.C (VINnews) – Conservative activist Laura Loomer said she reported radical leftist journalist Max Blumenthal to federal authorities after he traveled to Iran to attend the funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, leading to the seizure of two of his cellphones by the Department of Homeland Security upon his return.

Blumenthal, founder of The Grayzone, returned to Washington Dulles International Airport on July 10, 2026, from the reporting trip. Customs and Border Protection agents detained him for about two to two and a half hours, questioned him about the funding of his travel to the sanctioned country, his activities in Iran, and his future plans, according to accounts from Blumenthal and subsequent legal filings.

Blumenthal allegedly refused to disclose who paid for the trip and declined to unlock his two smartphones. Agents then confiscated the devices. His laptop and camera were not taken.

In a recent social media post, Loomer stated that Blumenthal was “crying over the fact that I reported him to the authorities” and that he “allegedly refused to tell Border Patrol who paid for his trip to Iran, a sanctioned country currently at war with the United States.” She added that she will continue to monitor and report those she believes are “supporting enemies of America and may possibly even be violating sanctions,” and that she will not apologize for doing so.

Blumenthal has described the seizure as an act of intimidation aimed at deterring critical reporting from Iran. The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee later sued on his behalf seeking the return of the phones, arguing the action violated his constitutional rights. The devices were subsequently returned.