Iranians on Khamenei’s Death: Mourning on State TV, Public Joy

Millions of Iranians have lived their entire lives under the thumb of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran. When reports of his demise began to trickle in, the response in the streets of Tehran was jubilation. The reaction by the authorities was denial, then mourning.

The death of the supreme leader of Iran was teased out over hours until declared as fact by US President Donald Trump in a social media post. It marks the biggest turning point in the country’s complex history since the Islamic Revolution that overthrew the Shah and ushered in the clerics.