Who is the Australian journalist who celebrated Khamenei’s death on air? – Firstpost

The Iran-US conflict has taken a serious turn with the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. His death was both mourned and celebrated by Iranians as well as people around the world.

While some people shed tears over his death, others celebrated it. One such reaction of a journalist has caught everyone’s attention. The anchor of Sky News Australia was one of the many who reacted strongly against Iranian supreme leader’s death. During a segment on Iran, she said, “You son of a b***h, shame on you, burn in hell!”

Here is all you need to know about the anchor and the incident.

What did the Sky News anchor say?

• Sky News Australia anchor Rita Panahi stunned the world on Sunday (March 1) after she cursed Iran’s leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, following the announcement of his death on Sunday morning.

• During ‘The Rita Panahi Show’, she said, “You son of a b***h, shame on you, burn in hell!”

I should’ve added a “bisharaf” in there too. https://t.co/A1JQTBGO18

— Rita Panahi (@RitaPanahi) March 2, 2026

• A video of the incident has been going viral, which has racked up more than 100,000 views within hours.

• She began the segment saying, “This will be the shortest editorial I’ll ever deliver.” She further said, “All I have to say is that after 47 years of Islamist tyranny, the dictator is dead and Iran is on the verge of being liberated.”

• Panahi said that she “never thought she would see this day in my lifetime.”

• She went on to commend US President Donald Trump’s courage, emphasising that he had taken a significant risk in directing the military action against Iran.

• While Panahi celebrated and rebuked Khamenei’s death on air, another reporter broke down.

• The presenter of Iranian state TV struggled to hold back tears while announcing the news.

• Footage shared by Press TV showed emotional scenes, with people crying, wailing, and even collapsing after the announcement.

Who is Rita Panahi?

• Rita Panahi is the host of ‘The Rita Panahi Show’ on Sky News Australia.

• She is a long-time conservative commentator who has been a criticiser of the Iranian regime.

• Her family moved to Australia in 1984 after fleeing Iran.

• Panahi hasn’t been able to return to Iran due to fear of persecution.

• Other than ‘The Rita Panahi Show’, she also hosts ‘Lefties Losing It’ and ‘The Friday Show’ on the channel.

• She also writes opinion columns for the Herald Sun.

• Notably, Khamenei had ruled the Islamic Republic since 1989.

How was Khamenei killed?

• Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed late on Saturday in a massive joint US-Israeli military operation.

• Dubbed “Operation Epic Fury” by US officials, the mission combined air and missile strikes against multiple high-ranking regime figures. Officials said they relied on live intelligence from an unusual leadership gathering that morning to catch their targets off guard.

• US President
  Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister
  Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that the compound was destroyed with more than 40 top Iranian officials also killed.

• Khamenei’s death has led to nationwide unrest in Iran.

• At a rally in Tehran mourning Khamenei’s death, grief quickly turned to anger.

With inputs from agencies