Iranians celebrate Khamenei’s death in Tehran

Many residents of Tehran celebrated, this Saturday (28), with shouts and demonstrations, the supposed — but not yet confirmed — death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, amid attacks carried out by the United States and Israel against the country.

“Khamenei is dead!” “Khamenei is dead!”shouted countless people from the windows of their homes in the north of the Iranian capital. The screams were mixed with whistles, applause and the sound of horns and trumpets.

Screams were also heard “Javid Shah” (“Long live the shah”)in a direct reference to the monarchy overthrown by the Islamic Revolution of 1979, led by the Shiite clergy.

The effusive screams, which echoed for around 20 minutes, are a reflection of the deep discontent share of the population with the theocratic regime established by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

Residence affected

So far, there is no official confirmation whether Khamenei, 86, actually passed away in the bombings initiated this Saturday morning by Israel and the United States. According to the Iranian Red Crescent organization (equivalent to the Red Cross in Islamic countries), the attacks have already left around 200 people dead.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that there is “clues” pointing out that Khamenei “ceased to exist” after Israel’s attack on his official residence this Saturday.

The complex of buildings where the Supreme Leader resides was hit by offensivesas shown by satellite images verified by the British BBC network.

Iranian state media, on the other hand, stated today that the Supreme Leader is alive and commanding the country’s defense operations in the face of foreign military intervention.

“An informed source announced that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is in the war room and is directing operations,” the Iranian agency reported. Tasnimlinked to the Revolutionary Guard.

Protest at the windows

Shouting through windows has become, over the years, a safest way to protest against the Islamic Republic, allowing the population to express their rejection of the regime while minimizing the risk of immediate arrest.

The last wave of demonstrations of this type occurred in the protests that began on December 28, when traders took to the streets due to the devaluation of the rial (the local currency). The movement grew to become a citizen uprising calling for the end of the Islamic Republic, being brutally repressed by security forces on January 8th and 9th.

The Iranian government recognizes 3,117 deaths in those clashes. However, opposition human rights organizations such as HRANA (based in the United States) raise the death toll to 7,015while continuing to verify more than 11,700 possible deaths and estimate that around 53,000 people have been arrested.