By Feliz Solomon
In Iran and abroad, reactions to the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei ranged from euphoria, to grief, to violence, providing an early glimpse of the dangerous uncertainty ahead.
As news spread late Saturday that the U.S. and Israeli strikes had killed the Ayatollah, many Iranians poured onto the streets of Tehran, Karaj, Rasht and other major cities to celebrate. Fireworks burst overhead in some areas and regime opponents sang from their balconies.
A man in Karaj, northern Iran, told The Wall Street Journal that "people are invigorated again," seeing a glimmer of hope after anti-government protests were violently put down in early January. But the joy was short-lived, he said, as authorities fired gunshots to break up the celebrations. The Iran-focused human-rights group Hengaw said similar scenes unfolded in other cities, but it hasn't confirmed whether anyone was killed.
As attacks continued on Sunday morning, Iran's state-controlled media outlets IRNA and IRIB aired videos of masses of people mourning Khamenei in cities such as Tehran, Borujerd, Juybar and Yasuj. Many of them dressed in black, they sang and beat their chests, a common mourning ritual in Iran.
The flurry of strikes-in which Israel says 40 Iranian commanders were killed in the first minute alone-has also drawn polarized reactions abroad, according to videos verified by Storyful, an open-source intelligence company owned by the Journal's parent company, News Corp.
Footage showed people dancing in the streets of the U.S. capital, some waving Iran's former "Lion and Sun" flag that has become a symbol of the opposition. In Karachi, Pakistan, other clips showed anti-U.S. rioters storming the American consulate, smashing windows and clashing with police, leaving at least nine people dead.
In Iraq, protesters surged into Baghdad's Green Zone, where the U.S. embassy is located, before they were dispersed amid thick clouds of smoke and what appeared to be water cannons.
This item is part of a Wall Street Journal live coverage event. The full stream can be found by searching P/WSJL (WSJ Live Coverage).
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 01, 2026 08:27 ET (13:27 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Comments