What started as a protest against the Iranian regime turned into a jubilant celebration in Vancouver Saturday after news broke that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had been killed in military strikes by the U.S. and Israel.
Iranian state media confirmed that Khamenei had been killed.
Thousands of people from the Iranian diaspora and their supporters gathered at David Lam Park, screaming and whistling as they waved pre-revolution lion-and-sun Iranian flags out of their cars and high above their heads. Strangers hugged each other. Some chanted “we just killed the supreme leader of Iran” while jumping up and down.
The gathering in downtown Vancouver mirrored those in cities across Canada, with crowds opposed to the decades-long theocratic regime.
Support rally in Vancouver following news Iran’s supreme leader is dead. Sarah Grochowski photo
Saideh Nickpasand, who lives in Richmond with her husband, said she has been in Canada for more than 20 years but still has family in Iran.
“Today I feel like I am walking on clouds,” the 71-year-old said, wrapped in a red-white-green flag and holding a sign featuring the king of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who ruled before the country was overthrown in the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
“My family is going to be safe.”
Vancouver couple Sarina Binesh and Mahbod Pazhoohian, both 27, said they moved to Canada almost a decade ago to escape the Islamic regime. Until Saturday, they said they had been terrified for their families living in Iran.
“The dictator killed so many of our kids and loved ones,” she said.
Binesh described feeling “euphoric,” saying that as soon as the news broke, she received a flood of calls and texts from loved ones in Iran who were celebrating.
“We are all praising Trump today because the enemy of my enemy is my friend,” she said.
As news of the military operation reverberated, questions swirled about what the leadership transition, and regional stability would look like.
Many Iranian Canadians said their hope now is for Pahlavi’s son to reclaim the country as a monarchy.
Not far from them at the park, a group of children climbed a playground structure to raise the pre-revolution Iranian flag as high as they could.
Children climbed a playground structure in Vancouver to raise the pre-revolution Iranian flag. Sarah Grochowski photo
Iranian Canadians and supporters rally in Vancouver after news that Iran’s supreme leader is dead Saturday.
Iranian Canadians and supporters rally in Vancouver following news Iran’s supreme leader is dead.
Abbas Qaidari, a Prince George resident and former senior fellow of the Center for Strategic Studies in Tehran, said the moment carries profound significance for millions of Iranians who have long hoped for a different future, one grounded in accountability, dignity, and normal engagement with the world.
“The collapse of a leadership structure built around coercion and confrontation creates space for recalibration,” Qaidari said.
“A transition toward a more responsible and non-ideologically driven Iran would not only benefit its own citizens, but also contribute meaningfully to regional stability and international peace.”
Qaidari said the coming days and weeks will be decisive. He hopes for a swift and structured political transition in Tehran, supported by the international community, that will create long-term stability.
Iranian Canadians and supporters rally in Vancouver after news that Iran’s supreme leader is dead Saturday.
Iranian Canadians and supporters rally in Vancouver after news that Iran’s supreme leader is dead Saturday.
A photo from a New York Times reporter posted a photo of the leader’s destroyed compound on social media.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a statement on Saturday that Canada supports the attempt to stop Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon and urged Canadians in the country to shelter in place.
“Canada supports the United States acting to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and to prevent its regime from further threatening international peace and security, and the Canadian government urges the protection of all civilians in this conflict,” said Carney, before a scheduled speech on Saturday in Mumbai, India.
With files from the National Post
Related