Pro-regime Iranians gathered after the official announcement by state television of the death of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Tehran on March 1, 2026. VAHID SALEMI/AP
Iranians awoke in disbelief on Sunday, March 1. Those who loathed the Islamic Republic struggled to believe that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, 86, who ruled the country for 37 years, had been killed the previous day in Israeli-American strikes. For supporters of the regime, tears were not enough to express the loss of their "leader."
Overnight, as Israeli and then American statements confirmed Khamenei's death, Iranians opposed to the regime shouted with joy from their windows and chanted slogans such as "Down with the dictator!" or "Long live the king!" – a reference to Reza Pahlavi, son of Iran's last shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, overthrown by the Islamic Revolution in 1979. The boldest took to the streets, dancing and honking their horns in celebration.
At 5 am local time, state television confirmed the supreme leader's death in a special broadcast. His supporters, dressed in black, gathered in the main squares of Tehran and other cities, such as Isfahan, to begin mourning.
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