{"id":508856,"date":"2026-03-02T05:32:12","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T05:32:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/508856\/"},"modified":"2026-03-02T05:32:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T05:32:12","slug":"celebrations-in-downtown-halifax-mark-fall-of-irans-supreme-leader","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/508856\/","title":{"rendered":"Celebrations in downtown Halifax mark fall of Iran’s supreme leader"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Text<\/p>\n

Listen to this article<\/p>\n

Estimated 3 minutes<\/p>\n

The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been 31 years since Ziba Mashkori left her home country of Iran, and for the first time in a while, she says, she’s hopeful about the future of the country.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, was killed in a U.S.-Israeli military attack on Saturday. He had been the country\u2019s supreme leader since 1989.<\/p>\n

Mashkori was one of more than 100 people in downtown Halifax on Sunday who celebrated his death with dances, chanting, music, and speeches. Many held flags of pre-revolutionary Iran, Israel, and the U.S., or held signs supporting Reza Pahlavi, son of Iran’s last shah.<\/p>\n

\u201cHope came to me,” Mashkori said in an interview. “It rushed into my wings and I was just like, \u2018I’m going to go back to Iran.’<\/p>\n

“We just couldn’t stay at home. We felt like we needed to be together for that moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mashkori said the fight is not over, however. The question of what will happen next is up in the air, with a succession plan already in effect<\/a>, putting senior cleric Alireza Arafi as part of Iran’s interim leadership council.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cUntil we get to freedom every single day, we will remember all those souls that we lost, all those innocent bloods that were shed,\u201d Mashkori said. <\/p>\n

WATCH | Iranian-Canadians celebrate in Halifax:\"\"<\/p>\n

People gather in downtown Halifax following military strikes in Iran <\/p>\n

Iranians in Nova Scotia were out on the streets of Halifax, celebrating with music, flags, dances and speeches. This is in response to the joint American-Israeli attack on Iran, which led to the killing of the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The CBC’s Molly MacNaughton has more. <\/p>\n

Mashkori left her home when she was only 19 years old because of what was happening in Iran.<\/p>\n

She still has family in Iran she has not seen in years. Communicating with her loved ones back home is difficult because of frequent internet service disruptions.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember what I lost for the past 31 years for being away from home, what was stolen from me personally,” she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Despite the challenges getting in contact with her loved ones, she was able to reach a family member after seeing the strikes this weekend.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy sister who lives in Tehran, she called me directly from her direct line and just saying very quick words, \u2018We are OK, Everything is OK,\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n

\"ThreeZiba Mashkori, left, attended the rally with others who came to Canada from Iran. Soheila Hashemi, right, was one.
\n (Molly MacNaughton\/CBC)<\/p>\n

Soheila Hashemi, another Iranian and one of the organizers for this rally, said she wanted to show her happiness and also shed light on the situation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She thanked U.S. President Donald Trump and Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the military action.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not the war against Iranians, this is the war to save Iranian life,\u201d Hashemi said.<\/p>\n

However, like Mashkori, Hashemi said this is not the end.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Iran has elections for president, parliament and the assembly of experts, a branch that chooses the supreme leader.\u00a0<\/p>\n

However, in its most recent elections, in 2024, there were no internationally recognized monitors to confirm the elections were free and fair.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to stand until the end of this regime and select our own governments elected by the people, not anybody else,\u201d Hashemi said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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