A Babson College professor has been fired for a Facebook post that jokingly suggested that Iran's supreme leader should make a list of American cultural sites worthy of bombing.

The private Massachusetts college announced the termination of adjunct professor Asheen Phansey on Thursday, drawing criticism from free speech advocates who said the personal social media post was not serious.

“In retaliation, Ayatollah Khomenei [sic] should tweet a list of 52 sites of beloved American cultural heritage that he would bomb,” Phansey wrote in the since-deleted post. “Um… Mall of America? Kardashian residence?"

The post came after President Donald Trump tweeted that he would include cultural sites in the list of 52 targets he would strike if Iran took action against the U.S. after killing its top general last week. Trump walked back on the remarks Tuesday after facing accusations of threatening war crimes.

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In a statement, Babson College said it condemns threatening words allowing violence and hate to continue.

"Babson College conducted a prompt and thorough investigation related to a post shared on a staff member’s personal Facebook page that does not represent the values and culture of the College," the statement said. "Based on the results of the investigation, the staff member is no longer a Babson College employee."

The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education slammed the decision, arguing Phansey was criticizing Trump.

"The professor's post⁠ is obvious rhetorical hyperbole and cannot reasonably be read as a threat, incitement, or even a sincere endorsement of violence," said Adam Steinbaugh, director of the foundation's Individual Rights Defense Program. "Babson's process-free termination of the professor in an attempt to quell criticism on social media is censorship, plain and simple, and reveals Babson's stated commitment to freedom of expression to be worthless."

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Phansey also asserted his First Amendment rights in a statement reported by local media outlets.

“I am disappointed and saddened that Babson has decided to abruptly terminate my 15-year relationship with the college just because people willfully misinterpreted a joke I made to my friends on Facebook," Phansey said in the statement . "I would have hoped that Babson, an institution of higher education that I love and to which I have given a great deal, would have defended and supported my right to free speech. Beyond my own situation, I am really concerned about what this portends for our ability as Americans to engage in political discourse without presuming the worst about each other.”

Before firing Phansey, the college suspended Phansey, with pay, while it investigated the post.

Contributing: William Cummings, USA TODAY