Large crowds of Iranians took to the streets, cheering with joy and playing celebratory music, Saturday night and early Sunday as reports spread that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had been killed.

Internet and phone service are almost entirely down in Iran, making accounts hard to verify and causing difficulties in assessing how widespread the celebratory sentiment was.

Celebrations in Tehran began shortly after 11 p.m., even before Iranian state television confirmed the killing of Khamenei, who brutally ruled over the country for 36 years.

The New York Times, citing video calls with three residents of Tehran, said that “loud Persian dance music filled the streets. Many residents, from their windows and balconies, joined in a chant of ‘freedom, freedom.’”

The newspaper also published videos — with some individuals’ faces blurred — of celebrations in Abdanan, a Kurdish city where many protesters were killed in January — showing men and women cheering and honking their car horns in the middle of the street upon hearing the news.

Fireworks could be seen being launched in videos shared on social media.

این تصاویر از شادی شهروندان در دهگلان، مهرشهر و ممسنی پس از انتشار گزارش‌های کشته شدن علی خامنه‌ای منتشر شده است. پس از اعلام خبر کشته شدن علی خامنه‌ای، ویدیوهای منتشرشده در شبکه‌های اجتماعی از شادی شهروندان در شهرهای مختلف ایران حکایت دارد. pic.twitter.com/Tfb0ylP3F9 — BBC NEWS فارسی (@bbcpersian) March 1, 2026

این تصاویر از شادی شهروندان در دهگلان، مهرشهر و ممسنی پس از انتشار گزارش‌های کشته شدن علی خامنه‌ای منتشر شده است. پس از اعلام خبر کشته شدن علی خامنه‌ای، ویدیوهای منتشرشده در شبکه‌های اجتماعی از شادی شهروندان در شهرهای مختلف ایران حکایت دارد. pic.twitter.com/Tfb0ylP3F9

— BBC NEWS فارسی (@bbcpersian) March 1, 2026

Videos posted on social media also showed joy and defiance elsewhere in Iran, with people cheering as a statue was toppled in the city of Dehloran in Ilam province, dancing in the streets of Karaj city, near Tehran in Alborz province, and celebrating in the streets of Izeh in Khuzestan province.

In the town of Galleh Dar in southern Iran, people brought down a monument commemorating Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who founded the Islamic Republic in 1979, a video on social media showed.

“Am I dreaming? Hello to the new world!” a man can be heard shouting in the video, as fires burned on a traffic circle where the monument was toppled, prompting cheers and applause.

Can you hear the joy in his voice? ????“I am dreaming, hello world!” pic.twitter.com/ICq77zBerv — William Mehrvarz (@WilliamMehrvarz) March 1, 2026

Can you hear the joy in his voice? ????“I am dreaming, hello world!” pic.twitter.com/ICq77zBerv

— William Mehrvarz (@WilliamMehrvarz) March 1, 2026

Another video showed people celebrating in the town of Lapuee in southern Iran outside the house of a 15-year-old teenager, Pooya Jafari, who was shot dead during anti-government protests in January.

Thousands of Iranians were killed during a brutal crackdown on anti-government protests in January. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) has recorded more than 7,000 deaths, while warning the full toll is likely far higher.

The killings drew threats from US President Donald Trump that he could order military action against the regime to protect the demonstrators. Both Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have called on protesters to take to the streets at the conclusion of the US-Israeli military operation, to finish the job of toppling the regime.

ویدیوی دریافتی با شرح: 'ابراز شادی مردم #لپویی در استان فارس در پی اعلام خبر مرگ #خامنه‌ای، مقابل منزل #پویا_جعفری نوجوان ۱۵ ساله‌ای که پنجشنبه ۱۸ دی با تیراندازی نیروهای حکومتی کشته شد.'#Iran pic.twitter.com/mZ9IF9NfUW — Vahid Online (@Vahid) February 28, 2026

ویدیوی دریافتی با شرح: 'ابراز شادی مردم #لپویی در استان فارس در پی اعلام خبر مرگ #خامنه‌ای، مقابل منزل #پویا_جعفری نوجوان ۱۵ ساله‌ای که پنجشنبه ۱۸ دی با تیراندازی نیروهای حکومتی کشته شد.'#Iran pic.twitter.com/mZ9IF9NfUW

— Vahid Online (@Vahid) February 28, 2026

In Shiraz, people “were abandoning their cars for an impromptu dance party,” according to The New York Times, “whistling, cheering, clapping and screaming with joy.”

And a video from Isfahan showed a jubilant crowd of mostly young men and women, cheering and honking their horns.

A 33-year-old woman from Isfahan said she began crying from a mix of joy and disbelief when she heard Khamenei was dead.

Speaking to Reuters from Iran, she said she joined others dancing in the street to “share my happiness with my people,” expressing hope that his death would mean the end of the Islamic Republic.

She declined to be named for fear of reprisal.

Iranians celebrating Khamenei’s death in Shiraz in southwestern Fars province. We’re only seeing a sliver of this happening across Iran due to the Internet shutdown (this footage came via Starlink).pic.twitter.com/8fBM7riye3 — Holly Dagres (@hdagres) February 28, 2026

Iranians celebrating Khamenei’s death in Shiraz in southwestern Fars province.

We’re only seeing a sliver of this happening across Iran due to the Internet shutdown (this footage came via Starlink).pic.twitter.com/8fBM7riye3

— Holly Dagres (@hdagres) February 28, 2026

But Atousa Mirzade, a primary school teacher in the central city of Shiraz, said she could not be happy about the country’s leader being killed by a foreign power.

“I also cannot be happy because I don’t know what will happen to our country. We saw what happened in Iraq — chaos and bloodshed. I would prefer the Islamic Republic to that situation.”

الاحتفالات تعم منطقة فولاد شهر في أصفهان فرحا وابتهاجا بمقتل خامنئي pic.twitter.com/QkREwKjq6N Advertisement if(typeof rgb_remove_toi_dfp_banner != "function" || !rgb_remove_toi_dfp_banner("#336x260_InContent_1")){ window.tude = window.tude || { cmd: [] }; tude.cmd.push(function() { if(navigator.userAgent.indexOf("rgbmedia-app") > -1){ tude.setDeviceType("mobile"); } tude.refreshAdsViaDivMappings([ { divId: '336x260_InContent_1', baseDivId: '336x260_InContent_1', } ]); }); } — Mohamad Ahwaze (@MohamadAhwaze) February 28, 2026

الاحتفالات تعم منطقة فولاد شهر في أصفهان فرحا وابتهاجا بمقتل خامنئي pic.twitter.com/QkREwKjq6N

— Mohamad Ahwaze (@MohamadAhwaze) February 28, 2026

Meanwhile, thousands gathered in the center of Tehran to mourn Khamenei’s death, journalists said.

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.

University student Hossein Dadbakhsh, 21, in Mashhad, said Iran would avenge its leader.

“I am ready to sacrifice my life for Islam and for my Imam Khamenei. The Zionist regime and Trump will pay a heavy price for the martyrdom of my leader,” he said by phone, his voice trembling with emotion.

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