Iranians living in Iran and around the world were seen celebrating the assassination of the country’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iranians living in Iran and around the world were seen celebrating the assassination of the country’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Tensions in West Asia reached an all-time high on Saturday, after Israel and the US unleashed massive strikes against Iran. Tehran retaliate by launching missiles towards the UAE and Saudi Arabia, triggering chaos across West Asia.
Videos circulating on social media show Iranians dancing, waving flags, honking car horns, and setting off fireworks in cities including Tehran, Karaj, Fuladshahr, Borazjan, and Mamasani. People were seen cheering on the streets, with some even celebrating as planes and missiles flew overhead.
Video obtained by Iran International shows people dancing and rejoicing on the streets following US and Israeli attacks on Iran. pic.twitter.com/w33NISy7kp
— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) February 28, 2026
“This war is not our war. It’s Trump’s war with the hateful Islamic regime. We pray that Trump wins this war, because if he wins, the people of Iran will be free,” said one Iranian citizen in a video shared with Iran International.
Celebration goes beyond borders
Iranian expats also celebrated Khamenei’s demise in all parts of the world. In Westwood, Los Angeles, home to roughly 140,000 Iranian-Americans—the largest concentration outside Iran, residents took to the streets. Many even called for exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi to take leadership of the country.
Iranians in Australia, some of them who fled the draconian Khamenei regime, called the moment “bittersweet”. In Sydney and Melbourne, planned anti-regime rallies on Sunday became celebrations of the leader’s death, with thousands attending. In Canberra, a few hundred people celebrated outside the now-closed Iranian embassy to cheer the death of the Ayatollah and praise Israel and the United States.
Celebrations were also witnessed in the United Kingdom as many recalled the human rights abuses and violence Iran witnessed under Khamenei.
But why?
All these demonstrations raise the question of why Iranians are celebrating their leader’s demise, who ruled the country since 1989. For decades, Khamenei’s rule was defined by strict domestic control, suppression of dissent, and confrontational foreign policy.
His government is known for brutally cracking down on uprisings at home, including the Green Movement in 2009 and the December 2025 nationwide protests triggered by economic collapse. Rights groups estimate that thousands were killed in security crackdowns, while many more were imprisoned or forced into exile. For a generation of Iranians, Khamenei represented an unyielding and unchallengeable authority, leaving little hope for political or social reform.
Pro-slamic Republic students at Tehran University hold a demonstration, supporting the state in the face of a joint US-Israel attack – Mehrnews pic.twitter.com/zwAIn3kH6n
— Rudaw English (@RudawEnglish) February 28, 2026
Meanwhile, the Iranian establishment has declared 40 days of national mourning and seven public holidays. They said that Khamenei was killed on Saturday morning, right when Israel and the US unleashed attacks in Tehran.
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