Iranians flooded the streets Friday night from Tehran to Abdanan, celebrating the news of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's death in a joint Israeli-American strike. The Fars news agency reported that his daughter, son-in-law, granddaughter, and daughter-in-law were also killed. The ayatollah's death, after nearly 40 years of authoritarian rule, marks a historic turning point for Iran's theocratic regime. Many Iranians, inside the country and abroad, rejoiced – even as Israeli and American aircraft continued to circle Iranian skies and additional strikes went on through the night.
The Iranian state television anchor delivered the news with visible grief. But across various neighborhoods in Tehran, the capital of the Islamic Republic, pockets of celebration broke out.
Video: Iranian state TV anchor announces Khamenei's death and breaks down in tears. Credit: Iranian State Media
Crowds of men and women danced and cheered, shouting, "Wow! Wow!" Drivers honked as they passed through Safrou Square. Fireworks lit up the sky, and music shook the streets. Many residents joined from their windows and balconies, calling out "Freedom, freedom."
شادی مردم فولادشهر اصفهان شهر مهسا موگویی پس از مرگ خامنه ای pic.twitter.com/eo2Li99KNp
— مملکته (@mamlekate) February 28, 2026
In Abdanan, a Kurdish city in western Iran where protests had been brutally suppressed, young men and women took to the streets after the announcement of the supreme leader's death. They leaned out of car windows, flashed victory signs, and cheered. "Tonight, February 28 – congratulations on our freedom," they called.
"Welcome to the new world!" a man was heard shouting as, in a video, a group smashed a statue believed to be of Khamenei, with bonfires burning around them in a square in Galeh Dar, in Fars Province.
"دارم خواب میبینم؟ سلام دنیای جدید!"
ویدیو دریافتی از 'شادی جوانان شهر #گلهدار در شهرستان مُهر استان فارس، یکشنبه ۱۰ اسفند'#Iran pic.twitter.com/g0U6p7zmVo— Vahid Online (@Vahid) February 28, 2026
A separate video from Isfahan, a major city in central Iran, showed at least a hundred people celebrating, many with their hands raised and waving white cloths.
Celebrations spread beyond Iran's borders, erupting across Europe – in Italy, the UK, and Germany – where Iranians who had fled the Islamic Republic rejoiced at the end of the Khamenei era. In Germany, crowds cheerfully sang "Hava Nagila," celebrating the joint US-Israel strike that killed the supreme leader.
The Ayatollah Khamenei had been the ultimate authority over every government decision in Iran. According to reports, he personally ordered security forces to use excessive force against protesters in January, which led to the deaths of many people.
Human rights groups say the crackdown claimed the lives of at least 7,000 people, and observers expect the toll to rise.
Yet he also had supporters who mourned his death. In Isfahan, a memorial rally was held to mark his passing. In Tehran, hundreds of government workers gathered to mourn his death.
It remains unclear who will lead Iran after nearly four decades under Khamenei's rule. Friday night, US President Donald Trump said he had "a pretty good idea" about the leadership transition when asked about it in an interview. Iran's National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani, who is widely regarded as the de facto ruler of Iran at this time, harshly attacked Israel and the US, saying, "America and the Zionist regime have burned the hearts of the Iranian nation, and we will burn their hearts too." He also argued, "The enemy is deluding itself if it thinks that eliminating leaders will destabilize Iran," and said, "A leadership council has been established in accordance with the constitution to assume the responsibilities of the supreme leader until a successor is chosen."
