Crowds of Iranians took to the streets across Tehran and dozens of cities on Saturday night — honking car horns, waving Lion and Sun flags, and openly celebrating in scenes not witnessed in the Islamic Republic's 46-year history, as reports emerged that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been killed in the joint US-Israeli strike on Iran.
CNN confirmed that cheers and celebrations were heard across parts of Tehran following reports of Khamenei's death. Videos flooding social media showed Iranians dancing on rooftops, embracing strangers in the street, and chanting slogans that hours earlier would have meant prison or worse.
"They Lost Their Fear"
Messages pouring out of Iran on encrypted channels described a population in a state of collective shock and joy. "Party for the death of the tyrant," read one widely shared message. "A people that has lost its fear," read another.
US President Donald Trump personally confirmed Khamenei's death, announcing that the joint US-Israeli assault — launched in the early hours of Saturday, February 28, 2026 — had killed Iran's Supreme Leader. PBS and OPB reported Trump's announcement as the first official confirmation from an American head of state. Satellite imagery confirmed that Khamenei's compound and offices were among the first structures hit in the opening wave of strikes.
Iranian officials disputed the claim. The regime has not issued a formal statement confirming Khamenei's death. But the absence of any live appearance by Khamenei — combined with Trump's direct confirmation — has done little to calm the celebrations on Iran's streets.
Reza Pahlavi Calls on Iranians to Rise
Reza Pahlavi, son of Iran's last Shah and the figurehead of the pro-monarchy movement that has grown dramatically since December's uprising began, addressed Iranians directly following the strikes. He urged the population to prepare to resume protests as the Islamic Republic "collapses," called on military and security forces to side with the public rather than the ruling establishment, and described the US action as a "humanitarian intervention" — while urging Trump to avoid civilian harm.
Diaspora Iranians worldwide echoed the mood. Celebratory solidarity rallies broke out across cities in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Israel, India, South Korea, Australia, and dozens of other countries. Protesters replaced Islamic Republic flags with the Lion and Sun flag — Iran's pre-1979 symbol — and chanted "This is the final battle — Pahlavi will return."
Inside Iran: Celebrations Amid the Smoke of War
The celebrations inside Iran are happening against a backdrop of real war. Foreign Affairs expert Karim Sadjadpour of the Carnegie Endowment described the atmosphere as "a mix of muted celebrations and the horrors of war — videos of people dancing in the streets, people cheering from their balconies as they watch smoke billow from Khamenei's compound, while at the same time reports of civilian casualties filter through."
Female students at a school in Tehran chanted "Death to the Velayat" — a direct rejection of the doctrine of clerical rule that has governed Iran since 1979. From windows across the city, residents chanted "Death to Khamenei." Nationwide strikes were simultaneously conducted by businesses, stores, cafes, and workers, with online shops and social media influencers joining the shutdown in solidarity.
The Uprising That Made This Moment Possible
Saturday's street scenes did not emerge from nowhere. They are the product of more than two months of relentless protest that began December 28, 2025, when Iranians first took to the streets over economic collapse — a currency in freefall, a monthly cash subsidy worth $45 in 2010 reduced to approximately $2 today, electricity cuts, water shortages, and decades of accumulated anger.
What began as economic protest transformed into an explicit demand for regime change. Demonstrations spread across more than 110 cities on January 6 alone. At least 32 protesters were killed that day. Students at Sharif University, Tehran University, Amirkabir, and Khajeh Nasir all walked out. The Abdanan uprising briefly drove IRGC forces from the city. The regime responded with internet blackouts, mass arrests, and live fire — and still the protests continued.
By February, the chants had shifted entirely. "Death to the Dictator." "Woman, Life, Freedom." And increasingly, "Long live the king" and "Pahlavi will return" — slogans that would have been unthinkable in public just a year ago.
What Comes Next: Power Vacuum or Regime Consolidation?
The critical question now is whether Khamenei's reported death triggers a collapse of the Islamic Republic or a violent consolidation by its remaining power structures.
Sadjadpour laid out the two possibilities clearly: "Khamenei's death could result in the regime and its security forces closing ranks in order to survive, or it could serve as the equivalent of a giant cannon blast blowing a hole in a ship — causing the ship to sink and its leadership to bail out to save their own skins."
The Islamic Republic has no clear succession plan. The unexpected death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash in May 2024 already removed one potential successor. Khamenei, at 86, had no publicly designated replacement. IRGC commanders and hardline clerics now face a moment with no roadmap and no obvious leader.
Brookings Institution analysts noted that even if the regime survives this upheaval, it has "no durable pathway for alleviating the economic hardships that have repeatedly precipitated unrest" and is "moving steadily closer to its own collapse." The combination of internal revolution and external military assault has created a pressure the regime has never before faced simultaneously.
Trump, meanwhile, addressed Iranians directly — urging them to "take over your government." Whether that call translates into decisive action on the streets in the days ahead is the question that will determine whether Saturday night's celebrations are the beginning of liberation or the opening chapter of something longer and harder.
This is a developing story. Updates will be added as verified official information becomes available.