Tehran: Massive protests swept through cities across Iran on Sunday following confirmation that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in coordinated US and Israeli military strikes.
The announcement has triggered widespread fury, dramatically escalating Middle East tensions and sparking intense public outpourings of grief and rage nationwide, news agencies reported.
Iran’s state television broke the news early Sunday, solemnly confirming Khamenei’s death during the US-Israel attacks and declaring that the “Islamic revolution leader has achieved martyrdom.” In response, the government immediately proclaimed a 40-day national mourning period alongside a seven-day official holiday, urging citizens to unite in remembrance and defiance.
Large crowds rapidly mobilized in urban centers, clutching Iranian flags and posters of the fallen leader, as reported by Turkish news agency Anadolu and Iranian media.
Demonstrators voiced raw grief and anger while hurling condemnations at the United States and Israel, with chants of “inteqam” — meaning revenge â
echoing through the streets.
In Tehranâs Enghelab Square, hundreds converged raising flags and posters while shouting anti-US and anti-Israel slogans amid palpable anger. News agency AFP captured the scene of mourners filling the square, their voices united in calls for retribution against those responsible for the strikes.
Similar scenes unfolded in Lorestan province, where videos showed men and women marching defiantly. “Neither compromise nor surrender, fight against America,” they chanted, according to Tehran Times.
The province became a focal point of organized outrage, blending mourning with militant resolve, reports said.
In the holy city of Qom, hundreds gathered at the revered shrine of Hazrat Masumeh, denouncing the attacks in a display of religious fervor. Further north in Mashhad, one of Iranâs holiest sites, mourners draped a symbolic black flag over the dome of the Imam Reza Shrine. Many were visibly overcome, shedding tears in the surrounding areas as the weight of the loss sank in, according to reports from multiple news agencies.
Meanwhile, Iran pressed on with its retaliation on Sunday. Following Saturdayâs devastating strikes, the Islamic Republic unleashed a fresh missile barrage on Israel. Sirens wailed across Tel Aviv and other regions as phones blared advanced alerts warning of incoming missiles, rockets, or drones. Israel remained on high alert, bracing for further escalation in the volatile exchange, news agencies reported.