{"id":4176,"date":"2026-03-05T03:00:41","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T03:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/4176\/"},"modified":"2026-03-05T03:00:41","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T03:00:41","slug":"tehran-after-khameneis-death-rallies-of-mourning-but-also-dancing-in-the-streets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/4176\/","title":{"rendered":"Tehran after Khamenei’s death: Rallies of mourning but also dancing in the streets"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

TEHRAN\u00a0\u2014\u00a0In January 1979, the shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, left a nation that erupted in celebration at the end of his rule, ushering in the era of the Islamic Republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.<\/p>\n

More than 47 years later, the death of Khomeini\u2019s successor, Iran\u2019s 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, elicited similar scenes of joy, with crowds in some areas openly cheering and dancing in the streets to mark the killing of a leader more feared than loved.<\/p>\n

\"More <\/p>\n

Iranians celebrate on Jan. 19, 1979, in Tehran after the departure of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi set the stage for the founding of the Islamic Republic. <\/p>\n

(Aristotle Saris \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n

But the celebrations in one Tehran neighborhood were also furtive and short-lived to avoid riot police or members of the Basij, a voluntary auxiliary force with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Hundreds of people gathered, shouting and honking horns, and then quickly moved to another neighborhood.<\/p>\n

There were reports of similar displays across the capital. But in rural areas \u2014 where the Basij and police have less of a presence \u2014 thousands deluged the streets, chanting and dancing in jubilation.<\/p>\n

Those gatherings contrasted with more organized, massive rallies that have long been the forte of Iran\u2019s authorities. At such rallies this weekend, Khamenei supporters mourned his death.<\/p>\n

In the hours after Khamenei was pronounced dead Saturday, thousands gathered in main squares across the country, hoisting pictures of the supreme leader, waving Iranian flags and chanting ,\u201cWe sacrifice ourselves for you, O Hussein\u201d \u2014 a reference to a martyred Shiite figure. Many openly cried.<\/p>\n

Communications have been disrupted throughout Iran, and gauging the national mood in a country of more than 90 million people is difficult. But while some wept for Khamenei, those interviewed in Tehran appeared happy to see the downfall of a government they have long protested against.<\/p>\n

\"Two <\/p>\n

Two men on a motorcycle decorated with a picture of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ride ahead a group of government supporters near Khamenei\u2019s residency in Tehran on Sunday.<\/p>\n

(Vahid Salemi \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n

But despite the divergent views on Khamenei, both sides shared a sense of uncertainty, with fears that Iran was at a crossroads, facing fateful questions over its political and economic future and a sense that it could easily go down a dangerous and chaotic path.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a mixed feeling. On the one hand, yes, we\u2019re happy about the decapitation strikes and Khamenei\u2019s death. But the surviving officials and commanders aren\u2019t just going to raise their hands and give up,\u201d said Hassan, a barber in Tehran who, like many interviewed, did not want to be named to avoid reprisals.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ll fight back, and therefore the collapse of the regime will take a long time, and it won\u2019t be easy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Ziba, a 60-year-old retired nurse reached by phone, said she was driving with her husband to fill up with gas near Tehran\u2019s Arayia Shahr Square around midnight, right after a Basij base near their home was struck, right when rumors of Khamenei\u2019s death were gathering force.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe started honking to celebrate,\u201d she said. When they went back to their apartment, they cheered with joy from their window.<\/p>\n

But they were too afraid to do more. They live in a neighborhood with a number of high-ranking officials and were worried it would lead to reprisals.<\/p>\n

She added that her family was happy, but that they expected the collapse of the theocracy to take longer. And it would involve the destruction of a lot of the country\u2019s military infrastructure, which she considered to be \u201cthe country\u2019s assets.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the meantime, she was concerned with protecting her family. Both her son and daughter were at home after authorities declared a seven-day public holiday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI begged them to not go outside and to leave the house with us to another area of Tehran,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope the regime will collapse quickly. Inshallah\u201d \u2014 God willing \u2014 \u201cit will,\u201d she added. <\/p>\n

Others were divided within the same household.<\/p>\n

Rahman, an electrical engineer who would shed no tears for Khamenei, was driving his elderly father \u2014 and avid supporter of the supreme leader \u2014 to a mosque where he would be participating in a mourning event.<\/p>\n

Rahman was hoping that within 10 days, protesters would take to the streets once more and impose their will on the now-decapitated theocratic regime.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut the more realistic situation is that U.S. and Israeli strikes will continue until the top officials sit for negotiations and accept a deal that keeps them in power,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Amir, a 20-year-old barista, wasn\u2019t letting thoughts of the future ruin his mood now. He had taken part in the protests in January, and also in the 2022 demonstrations protesting the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman accused of violating the law forcing women to cover their heads.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m telling you, I\u2019m laughing and happy for the first time in years,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know or care what happens next. All I can tell you is that this regime has no genuine devotees, only mercenaries. I hope they give up soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Iranian <\/p>\n

Iranian people demonstrate in support of the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin on Sunday.<\/p>\n

(Ebrahim Noroozi \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n

For Iranian diaspora communities, which are in large part opposed to the government, Khamenei\u2019s death sparked unadulterated happiness. In Los Angeles, London and others cities, people showed up in what were essentially street parties outside Iranian diplomatic missions.<\/p>\n

In the Middle East, reactions too were divided, a reflection of Khamenei\u2019s long shadow on the region. In Syria, Khamenei\u2019s death was seen as vengeance for his support with arms, men and materiel for former Syrian President Bashar Assad, who was deposed in December 2024.<\/p>\n

In Lebanon, the Shiite group Hezbollah held a thousands-strong rally in the Beirut suburb where it holds sway.<\/p>\n

And in Iraq, a Shiite majority nation whose deep ties with Iran\u2019s rulers were kick-started by the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, the government declared three days of mourning. In the meantime, hundreds attempted to storm the Green Zone, where the U.S. Embassy is located, before being pushed back by police forces.<\/p>\n

Special correspondent Mostaghim reported from Tehran, Times staff writer Bulos from Sudan. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TEHRAN\u00a0\u2014\u00a0In January 1979, the shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, left a nation that erupted in celebration at…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4177,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[2965,2796,2140,1555,1584,34,90,2963,2964,2967,2962,69,2966,2968,683],"class_list":{"0":"post-4176","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tehran","8":"tag-area","9":"tag-authority","10":"tag-basij","11":"tag-country","12":"tag-death","13":"tag-iran","14":"tag-khamenei","15":"tag-mourning","16":"tag-rally","17":"tag-regime","18":"tag-street","19":"tag-tehran","20":"tag-tehran-neighborhood","21":"tag-thousand","22":"tag-u-s"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@iran\/116174338608693582","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4176","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4176"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4176\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4177"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4176"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4176"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4176"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}