Protests greet Iranian leader’s killing

The world greeted with jubilation, anger or trepidation the news Sunday that Iranian supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had been killed in the US-Israeli strikes on the Islamic Republic on Saturday. Khamenei, Iran’s leader since 1989 and sworn enemy of the West, was killed in the opening salvo of a massive US and Israeli attack, […]

The world greeted with jubilation, anger or trepidation the news Sunday that Iranian supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had been killed in the US-Israeli strikes on the Islamic Republic on Saturday.

Khamenei, Iran’s leader since 1989 and sworn enemy of the West, was killed in the opening salvo of a massive US and Israeli attack, sparking a new wave of retaliatory missile strikes from Tehran on Sunday.

Iranian state television confirmed Khamenei’s death early Sunday, hours after American President Donald Trump had announced the killing of the 86-year-old cleric whom he described as “one of the most evil people in history”.

Iranian media also reported the deaths of his daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter.

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The Red Crescent said strikes had left 201 people dead and injured hundreds more.

Iran’s judiciary confirmed that Ali Shamkhani, a top adviser to Khamenei, and General Mohammad Pakpour, the head of Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards, were among those killed.

Iran’s retaliatory strikes across the Middle East killed at least two people in Abu Dhabi and another in Tel Aviv on Saturday.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards vowed to launch the “most ferocious” operation in history against Israel and US bases, which are located in Gulf countries that were already counting the cost of an unprecedented series of deadly Iranian strikes.

Fresh explosions were heard in Doha, Dubai and Manama on Sunday, according to AFP, as warning sirens sounded in central Israel with the military saying it was responding to Iranian missile fire.

Iran’s state broadcaster said 27 US bases in the region, as well as Israel’s military headquarters and a defence industries complex in Tel Aviv, were among the targets in a new wave of strikes.

Trump threatened that any retaliation from Tehran would lead to Iran being hit with a force that has “never been seen before”.

He had earlier vowed no let-up in the strikes until the fall of the Islamic Republic and urged security forces to stand down.

“This is the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their Country,” Trump said in a statement.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also told Iranians that “this is your time to join forces, to overthrow the regime and to secure your future.”

Upon Khamenei’s death, many observers expected greater power for the Revolutionary Guards, which are deeply entrenched in the Iranian economy.

On Sunday, Iran named Ayatollah Alireza Arafi to join President Masoud Pezeshkian on an interim leadership council to lead the country while a permanent successor is found for the supreme leader.

Reza Pahlavi, the son of the late pro-Western shah deposed in the 1979 Islamic revolution, said any successor within the system would be illegitimate.

Hailing the demise of Khamenei, Pahlavi said: “With his death, the Islamic Republic has effectively come to an end and will soon be consigned to the dustbin of history.”

Pahlavi, who has spent most of his life in exile near Washington, has presented himself as a transitional figure to a secular democracy, but he does not enjoy support from across the opposition.

Top European Union officials said Sunday the killing of the Ayatollah could spell “hope” for the country, but carried a serious risk of regional instability.

EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas described Khamenei’s death as “a defining moment in Iran’s history”, while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said it spurred “renewed hope for the people of Iran”.

“At the same time, this moment carries a real risk of instability that could push the region into a spiral of violence,” von der Leyen added.

Von der Leyen said Brussels was engaging closely “with all key actors” to safeguard stability and security and to protect civilian lives.

“With Khamenei gone, there is renewed hope for the people of Iran. We must ensure that the future is theirs to claim and shape,” she wrote on social media, after a call with Jordan’s King Abdullah II.

Likewise, Kallas said she was in contact with regional partners “that bear the brunt of Iran’s military actions” to find practical steps for de-escalation.

“What comes next is uncertain. But there is now an open path to a different Iran, one that its people may have greater freedom to shape,” Kallas wrote on X.

UK Defence Secretary John Healey said on Sunday that “few people will mourn” Khamenei, echoing Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Khamenei “was responsible for the regime’s ballistic missile and nuclear programme, support for armed proxies and its brutal acts of violence and intimidation against its own people”, Albanese told reporters.

French government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon likewise said that France “could only be satisfied with his demise”, calling him a “bloodthirsty dictator”.

Also, jubilant Iranian-Americans on Saturday took to the streets from Boston to Los Angeles to cheer Khamenei’s death.

In Los Angeles, home to a massive Iranian diaspora, singing and ululating marchers carried flags of shah-era Iran and posters bearing Trump’s image, with some wearing “Free Iran” shirts.

Iranians took to the streets, cheering with joy, setting off fireworks and playing celebratory music after reports of Khamenei’s death, according to witnesses and video footage verified by AFP.

The celebrations in Tehran began shortly after 11:00 pm (1930 GMT), according to multiple witnesses and audio recordings.

People were not, however, coming out en masse to celebrate, according to social media.

Many Iranians were fearful after the deadly crackdown on mass anti-government protests in January.

The thousands who did gather in the centre of Iran’s capital were instead mourning Khamenei’s death, according to AFP journalists.

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.

 

201 killed, 747 injured in Iran

At least 201 people have been killed and 747 injured in Iran, according to the Iranian Red Crescent.

The deadliest incident occurred in Minab, where a strike on a girls’ school killed 148 and injured 95.

Israel has reported nine deaths and 121 injuries. Eight people were killed in Beit Shemesh after a missile strike, while one woman died in Tel Aviv from shrapnel.

The US confirmed three soldiers killed and five seriously wounded.

Elsewhere, Bahrain reported four injuries after missiles targeted the US Navy’s 5th Fleet headquarters and residential areas in Manama. Iraq confirmed two fighters killed and five wounded at Jurf al-Sakher base.

Kuwait reported one death and 32 injuries following attacks on Ali al-Salem Air Base and Kuwait International Airport.

Oman said five people were injured in drone and maritime strikes.

Qatar reported 16 injuries, mostly from shrapnel, after missiles targeted Al Udeid base and radar installations.

Saudi Arabia confirmed attacks on Riyadh and Eastern Province but reported no casualties.

In the UAE, three people were killed and 58 were injured, including foreign nationals, after debris from intercepted missiles struck residential areas and airports.

 

9 killed as pro-Iran  protesters attack US consulate

Meanwhile, at least nine people were killed as hundreds of pro-Iranian protesters tried to storm the United States consulate in the Pakistan megacity of Karachi on Sunday, according to a hospital toll seen by journalists.

Hundreds of Iraqis also attempted Sunday to storm Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone, where the US embassy is located, an AFP journalist reported.

Iran’s ally Hamas on Sunday mourned Khamenei. “The US and the fascist occupation government bear full responsibility for this blatant aggression and heinous crime,” the Palestinian Islamist group said.

Several thousand Shia Muslims joined street demonstrations in Indian-administered Kashmir on Sunday to protest against the killing of Khamenei.

Protesters holding red, black, and yellow flags converged on the main square in the heart of Srinagar, the main city of Indian Kashmir.

Many of them chanted anti-Israel and anti-US slogans during the emotionally charged but largely peaceful gathering.

“This day, we are all very heavy-hearted. We are mourning our beloved leader who was martyred,” Syed Towfeeq, 40, told AFP.

“We all have a message for the (US President Donald) Trump…We will always stand against your oppression.

“If you think that you have martyred our beloved leader, you are in an illusion… You cannot oppress while we, the sons of Khamenei, are alive.”

Another protester, Ishfaq Wani, 43, urged Muslim countries to unite “under one flag”.

Similar protests were held in other places across Kashmir and other parts of India with a sizeable Shia Muslim presence.

Omar Abdullah, chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir state, said he was “deeply concerned” about the developments in Iran.

He also urged protesters to remain calm and “avoid any actions that could lead to tension or unrest”.

“We must also ensure that those who are mourning in Jammu and Kashmir are allowed to grieve peacefully,” he said on X.

 

Nigeria, China, Russia react

Nigeria’s government has expressed deep concern over the rising tensions in the Gulf region, warning that continued escalation could have grave consequences for both regional and global stability.

In a statement in Abuja, signed by the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, the Government called on all parties involved in the unfolding crisis to exercise maximum restraint and avoid actions that could further inflame hostilities.

Nigeria urged stakeholders to prioritise dialogue over confrontation and to adhere strictly to established principles of international law.

The statement emphasised the importance of compliance with the United Nations Charter and the Geneva Conventions, particularly with regard to respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the peaceful settlement of disputes.

It underscored the need for caution in the use of lethal force to prevent additional civilian casualties and to avoid undermining the legal norms that regulate and limit armed conflict.

According to the ministry, preserving the existing international legal architecture is essential for protecting vulnerable populations, safeguarding civilian lives, and maintaining global order.

The government reiterated that the erosion of these norms would pose significant risks to international peace and security.

Reaffirming Nigeria’s longstanding commitment to non-alignment, multilateralism, and constructive engagement, the statement voiced support for renewed diplomatic initiatives within established international and regional frameworks aimed at resolving the crisis.

Nigeria welcomed efforts focused on confidence-building, mediation, and dialogue, encouraging all stakeholders to pursue peaceful solutions in the interest of collective security and shared prosperity.

China, on its part, said Sunday it “strongly condemns” the United States and Israel’s killing of Iran’s supreme leader, calling again for a halt to military actions.

The killing was “a serious violation of Iran’s sovereignty and security, a trampling on the aims and principles of the UN Charter and the basic norms of international relations”, Beijing’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

“China firmly opposes and strongly condemns this,” it added, calling for an “immediate halting of military operations”.

The condemnation came just after Chinese state media reported a phone call between Beijing’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, and Russia’s counterpart, Sergei Lavrov.

During the conversation, which state news agency Xinhua said was initiated by Lavrov, Wang said that the “blatant killing of a sovereign leader and the incitement of regime change” by the United States and Israel was “unacceptable”.

China is “highly concerned” that the “situation in the Middle East could be pushed into a dangerous abyss”, Wang told Lavrov, according to Xinhua.

“The international community must send a definite and clear message opposing the world’s regression to the law of the jungle,” Wang said.

Beijing has in recent days urged its citizens in Iran to evacuate the country “as soon as possible”.

Reiterating those calls Sunday, the foreign ministry said that Chinese passport holders could leave Iran on visa-free land routes into Azerbaijan, Armenia and Turkey.

On his part, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday slammed the United States and Israel’s killing of Ayatollah as a “cynical violation” of morality and law.

Tehran has stood by as one of Russia’s closest allies throughout Moscow’s Ukraine offensive, and the Kremlin had earlier called for restraint in the run-up to the US-Israeli strikes on Iran.

On Sunday, the Kremlin published a letter that Putin sent to his Iranian counterpart Pezeshkian in which the Russian leader expressed his “deepest condolences for the assassination of” Khamenei.

He said the killing was “carried out in a cynical violation of all norms of human morality and international law”.

Putin said Khamenei “will be remembered as an outstanding statesman who made an enormous personal contribution to the development of friendly Russian-Iranian relations”.

He asked Pezeshkian to “convey my most sincere sympathy and support to the relatives and loved ones of the Supreme Leader, to the government and to the entire people of Iran”.

Russia on Saturday condemned the strikes on Iran as a “dangerous adventure” that could spark “catastrophe” in the region.

Also Saturday, Moscow’s top diplomat Sergei Lavrov spoke by phone with Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, with the Russian ministry stressing that the call was held “at the initiative of the Iranian side”.

In 2025, Russia and Iran signed a strategic partnership treaty aimed at strengthening ties – including in military matters.

Also, North Korea has condemned the ongoing attack on Iran as an “illegal act of aggression”, claiming it had shown Washington’s “rogue” nature.

The military campaigns against Iran by the two states constitute “an illegal act of aggression and the most despicable form of violation of sovereignty in their nature from A to Z”, a spokesperson for the North’s foreign ministry said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.

“The DPRK condemns in the strongest tone the shameless rogue act of the US and Israel,” the official said, using the initials for the North’s official name.

Pyongyang said the United States and Israel chose to “abuse military muscle in order to realise their selfish and hegemonic ambition”.