Iranians Celebrate Death of Leader on Streets of Tehran and Worldwide

Trump Says the World Is “Safer Today Than It Was Yesterday.”

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei—one of the world’s most feared theocrats—was killed in a joint U.S.–Israeli strike late Saturday. By dawn on Sunday, videos smuggled out of Tehran showed crowds cheering, chanting, and waving American flags as the news swept through the capital.

Iran’s tightly controlled state media tried to push a different story. But the clips kept coming.

A young man filming from a rooftop whispered, “This is the moment we waited our whole lives for.” Fireworks echoed between apartment blocks. Drivers honked in long, defiant bursts. Some shouted, “Free Iran!” into the night.

President Donald Trump confirmed Khamenei’s death shortly after the Pentagon briefed him on the success of Operation Epic Fury. The president didn’t hold back.

“Khamenei was one of the most evil people ever to walk this earth,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “The Iranian people deserve freedom, not terror.”

Iranian officials immediately declared 40 days of mourning. But inside the country, many appeared to be celebrating instead.

State TV aired scenes of black-clad mourners sobbing in central Tehran. But Western intelligence officials say the regime forced government employees, soldiers, and students onto the streets for staged processions.

A U.S. defense official told us, “They’re doing what dictatorships always do. They’re manufacturing grief. But the genuine mood inside Tehran is mixed—fear, relief, confusion, and, in many neighborhoods, open celebration.”

Social media videos appeared to show residents dancing in Tabriz, Karaj, and even parts of south Tehran. One woman shouted to the camera, “We survived him. Now maybe we survive his system.”

Even as celebrations broke out, Iranian forces launched fresh attacks on American and allied sites throughout the Middle East. Explosions rocked Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and multiple Gulf states.

Israeli Defense Forces said their strikes “hit the heart of Tehran’s military command structure.”

In Tel Aviv, an Iranian missile killed a 32-year-old Philippine national. At least 11 people have died in Israel since the operation began.

In the United Arab Emirates, falling debris from intercepted missiles killed three people. Fires erupted at a Dubai port and a major luxury hotel.

Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain all reported incoming drones or rockets. Several airports temporarily halted operations.

The U.S. Central Command confirmed three American service members were killed and five injured in the first wave of Iranian retaliation. These are the first known U.S. casualties in Operation Epic Fury.

Trump, speaking from the Oval Office, warned Iran’s military leadership directly.

“If they strike American troops again, America will respond with a force Iran has never seen before,” he said. “We will not lose another American because of a dying regime’s desperation.”

The Pentagon also denied Iran’s claim that missiles struck the USS Abraham Lincoln, which was deployed as part of the buildup ahead of the strikes. Officials called the report “pure fiction.”

Inside Iran, confusion deepened as competing reports emerged about casualties across the country. Iran’s Red Crescent said more than 200 people had been killed in the past 24 hours, including over 100 in a mysterious explosion at a girls’ school near a military base.

A local prosecutor claimed the blast was caused by “enemy sabotage.” U.S. officials said they were “reviewing all available intelligence.”

Meanwhile, a hastily formed three-man caretaker council is now running the Islamic Republic. All three men were hand-picked by Khamenei during his final years.

An Iranian political analyst now living in Turkey told us, “This is the most fragile the regime has been since 1979. Nobody knows who’s really in charge.”

Across Los Angeles, London, Berlin, Toronto, and Dubai, Iranian expatriates poured into the streets.

A video shot in Westwood—known as “Tehrangeles”—showed a crowd waving both American and Israeli flags. One man held a poster of President Trump with the caption: “Finally someone stood up to them.”

A woman celebrating in St. Louis told local reporters, “This could be the beginning of a new Iran. We’ve prayed for this moment.”

But others voiced caution. “Removing Khamenei is only step one,” said Roya D., an Iranian civil rights advocate living in Canada. “The system he built is still fully intact. And it will fight to survive.”

Not everyone was celebrating. In Karachi, Pakistan, anti-American protests near the U.S. consulate turned deadly. Local police reported at least nine fatalities after clashes grew violent.

Demonstrations also broke out in Baghdad’s Sadr City, where pro-Iran factions held symbolic funerals and threatened reprisals.

The Trump administration insists it does not seek regime change, but senior officials acknowledge privately that Iran’s future is a “wide-open question.”

A senior intelligence official told us, “Khamenei’s death removes the central pillar of the Islamic Republic. The next few weeks will determine whether the system fractures or hardens.”

For millions of Iranians—inside and outside the country—the hope is simple.

“We just want to live like normal people,” said a 27-year-old Iranian engineer in a voice message sent through an encrypted app. “Maybe now that can finally happen.”