Thousands gather in Tehran to mourn death of brutal dictator

‘Freedom, freedom!’: Jubilant crowds across Iran celebrate killing of Khamenei

Videos from Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz, Abdanan show cheering, impromptu dance parties, fireworks; man shouts ‘hello new world’ as statue of republic founder is toppled in Galleh Dar

By Agencies and ToI Staff 1 March 2026, 4:19 pm
Edit
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
Iranians take to the streets to celebrate the news of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's death, in Karaj, February 28, 2026. (Social media, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law); Iranian regime supporters carry signs as they mourn Khamenei's death in the streets of Shiraz the following morning. (IRAN PRESS / AFP). US President Donald Trump announces the US strikes on Iran on February 28, 2026. (Screen capture/Truth Social); Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to US President Donald Trump regarding the joint strikes (GPO/Avi Ohayon); an image provided by Airbus shows the strike on Khamenei's compound in Tehran. (Airbus via AP); Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, June 28, 2024. (AP/Vahid Salemi)

Large crowds of Iranians took to the streets, cheering with joy and playing celebratory music, Saturday night and early Sunday as reports spread that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had been killed.

Internet and phone service are almost entirely down in Iran, making accounts hard to verify and causing difficulties in assessing how widespread the celebratory sentiment was.

Celebrations in Tehran began shortly after 11 p.m., even before Iranian state television confirmed the killing of Khamenei, who brutally ruled over the country for 36 years.

The New York Times, citing video calls with three residents of Tehran, said that “loud Persian dance music filled the streets. Many residents, from their windows and balconies, joined in a chant of ‘freedom, freedom.’”

The newspaper also published videos — with some individuals’ faces blurred — of celebrations in Abdanan, a Kurdish city where many protesters were killed in January — showing men and women cheering and honking their car horns in the middle of the street upon hearing the news.

Fireworks could be seen being launched in videos shared on social media.

Videos posted on social media also showed joy and defiance elsewhere in Iran, with people cheering as a statue was toppled in the city of Dehloran in Ilam province, dancing in the streets of Karaj city, near Tehran in Alborz province, and celebrating in the streets of Izeh in Khuzestan province.

In the town of Galleh Dar in southern Iran, people brought down a monument commemorating Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who founded the Islamic Republic in 1979, a video on social media showed.

“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.

Another video showed people celebrating in the town of Lapuee in southern Iran outside the house of a 15-year-old teenager, Pooya Jafari, who was shot dead during anti-government protests in January.

Thousands of Iranians were killed during a brutal crackdown on anti-government protests in January. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) has recorded more than 7,000 deaths, while warning the full toll is likely far higher.

The killings drew threats from US President Donald Trump that he could order military action against the regime to protect the demonstrators. Both Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have called on protesters to take to the streets at the conclusion of the US-Israeli military operation, to finish the job of toppling the regime.

In Shiraz, people “were abandoning their cars for an impromptu dance party,” according to The New York Times, “whistling, cheering, clapping and screaming with joy.”

And a video from Isfahan showed a jubilant crowd of mostly young men and women, cheering and honking their horns.

A 33-year-old woman from Isfahan said she began crying from a mix of joy and disbelief when she heard Khamenei was dead.

Speaking to Reuters from Iran, she said she joined others dancing in the street to “share my happiness with my people,” expressing hope that his death would mean the end of the Islamic Republic.

She declined to be named for fear of reprisal.

But Atousa Mirzade, a primary school teacher in the central city of Shiraz, said she could not be happy about the country’s leader being killed by a foreign power.

“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.”

Meanwhile, thousands gathered in the center of Tehran to mourn Khamenei’s death, journalists said.

The mourners, dressed mostly in black and some crying, chanted “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” in Enghelab (Revolution) Square, with many waving Iran’s flags and holding photos of Khamenei.

Iranian state television announced a 40-day mourning period and seven public holidays.

University student Hossein Dadbakhsh, 21, in Mashhad, said Iran would avenge 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.

Most Popular
read more:
If you’d like to comment, join
The Times of Israel Community.
JOIN THE TOI COMMUNITY
Join The Times of Israel Community
Commenting is available for paying members of The Times of Israel Community only. Please join our Community to comment and enjoy other Community benefits.
Please use the following structure: example@domain.com
Confirm Mail
Thank you! Now check your email
You are now a member of The Times of Israel Community! We sent you an email with a login link to . Once you're set up, you can start enjoying Community benefits and commenting.