The death of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has exposed deep divisions within the country, with some citizens celebrating in the streets while others mourn his passing. Khamenei, who ruled Iran for 36 years, was killed in a U.S.-Israeli attack on Saturday, according to Iranian state television.
The passing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has revealed stark divisions across the nation, as citizens responded with both mourning and celebration following his death after 36 years in power.
Iranian state television broke the news during the early morning hours on Sunday, with the announcer’s voice filled with emotion while confirming that Khamenei had perished in Saturday’s U.S.-Israeli strike. Video from Tehran captured crowds of mourners gathering in a public square, many wearing black clothing and visibly weeping.
However, social media footage revealed contrasting scenes of jubilation across various Iranian cities. In Dehloran, located in Ilam province, people cheered as they brought down a statue. Residents of Karaj city in Alborz province danced in the streets, while celebrations erupted in Izeh within Khuzestan province.
In the southern Iranian town of Galleh Dar, citizens destroyed a memorial dedicated to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of Iran’s Islamic Republic in 1979, according to verified social media video.
“Am I dreaming? Hello to the new world!” a man can be heard shouting in the video, as fires burned on a traffic circle where the monument was toppled, prompting cheers and applause.
Additional footage showed people celebrating in the southern town of Lapuee outside the residence of Pooya Jafari, a 15-year-old who was fatally shot during anti-government demonstrations in January.
The January protests resulted in thousands of Iranian deaths during government crackdowns, marking the most deadly period of civil unrest since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Following Saturday’s announcement of the Iranian attack, President Donald Trump called on Iranian citizens to take advantage of the situation to overthrow their government.
At a memorial gathering for Khamenei in Tehran, one attendee expressed that the news had filled him with animosity “towards Israel and America. We must avenge the blood of the leader.”
“We said last night until the morning that God willing, it is a lie. Unfortunately, it was the truth,” said a woman mourning Khamenei’s death, in a pool report via WANA.
Throughout Khamenei’s leadership, Iran experienced multiple periods of civil disorder, including student demonstrations in 1999 and 2002, upheaval in 2009, and the recent “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement in 2022, which began after a young woman died while in morality police custody.
A 33-year-old Isfahan woman told Reuters she wept from both happiness and shock upon learning of Khamenei’s death. Speaking from Iran, she described joining street celebrations to “share my happiness with my people,” hoping his death would signal the end of the Islamic Republic. She requested anonymity due to safety concerns.
However, Atousa Mirzade, an elementary school educator in Shiraz, said she couldn’t celebrate their leader’s death at the hands of foreign forces.
“I also cannot be happy because I don’t know what will happen to our country. We saw what happened in Iraq — chaos and bloodshed. I would prefer the Islamic Republic to that situation.”
Hossein Dadbakhsh, a 21-year-old university student in Mashhad, vowed that Iran would seek retribution for its leader.
“I am ready to sacrifice my life for Islam and for my Imam Khamenei. The Zionist regime and Trump will pay a heavy price for the martyrdom of my leader,” he said by phone, his voice trembling with emotion.