Iranians celebrate after reports of Supreme Leader Khamenei’s death

Iranians have taken to the streets in pockets of jubilation across Tehran and other cities following reports of the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a joint U.S.-Israeli airstrike, with videos showing crowds dancing, cheering, honking horns, and setting off fireworks late into the night.

The scenes, verified by outlets including CNN, The New York Times, BBC, and Sky News, emerged shortly after Iranian state television confirmed Khamenei's "martyrdom" in an emotional broadcast. While official channels declared 40 days of national mourning and public holidays, anti-regime sentiments bubbled over in neighborhoods where residents many long opposed to the Islamic Republic's hardline rule poured out of homes to celebrate what they described as a long-awaited moment of liberation.

In Tehran, residents leaned from windows and balconies, chanting "freedom, freedom" amid blaring Persian dance music. Drivers cruised through streets honking in rhythm, flashing victory signs, while groups of men and women danced openly. One Tehran woman, speaking anonymously to The New York Times, recounted screaming with joy upon hearing the news, then rushing outside to join neighbors in laughter and celebration. Fireworks lit up the sky in several districts, and some footage captured people shouting "Woohoo, hurrah" as the mood turned festive.

Similar outbursts appeared in cities like Shiraz, Karaj, and Qazvin, where crowds gathered spontaneously. In one widely shared clip, residents played celebratory music and waved flags, turning what could have been a somber night into scenes of relief and defiance. Anti-regime activist accounts and geolocated videos helped corroborate the authenticity of these moments, showing a stark contrast to the grief expressed by regime supporters elsewhere.

The celebrations extended far beyond Iran's borders. Iranian diaspora communities rallied in places like London, Los Angeles, San Jose, and Toronto, where crowds draped in flags cheered, sang, and called for figures like Reza Pahlavi the exiled son of the last Shah to help guide a transition. In North London, emotional gatherings featured tears of joy and vows of a brighter future. Iranian Americans in California described the moment as something they've awaited for decades, with one group assembling at San Jose City Hall to mark what they saw as the end of oppression.

These reactions brings deep divisions within Iranian society. Khamenei, who led the country since 1989, oversaw policies that included nuclear pursuits, support for proxy militias, and crackdowns on dissent most notably during the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom protests sparked by Mahsa Amini's death. Many who celebrated viewed his killing as a blow to decades of repression, with some symbolically toppling or defacing statues associated with him or the regime.

Yet the joy remains mixed and cautious. Not all Iranians rejoiced; state media focused on mourning, and some residents expressed private sorrow or fear of further instability amid ongoing military exchanges. The regime's security apparatus, though weakened by the strikes that also claimed dozens of top officials, could still respond harshly to public displays of dissent. Succession processes under Iran's constitution loom large, with the Assembly of Experts expected to name a replacement amid uncertainty.