Protesters in New York City chanted “death to America, death to Israel” in Farsi at a vigil honoring late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in New York City on Friday night, shortly before clashes erupted with counter-protesters, resulting in multiple arrests.
The 86-year-old Iranian supreme leader was killed in Tehran on Saturday in the initial joint US-Israeli airstrikes that started the war, with his death confirmed by the Iranian government the following day.
Protesters set up images of Khamenei on a table alongside flowers and candles, with signs reading, “Solidarity with Iran.” Other pictures included US civil rights leader Malcolm X and George Floyd, and local media noted that the display table also carried copies of the Quran and zines with titles such as “Zionism and Racist Landlords” and “ICE & Friends.”
The event was billed as both a memorial for Khamenei — whose death was dubbed by those present as an “assassination by US government forces” — and for “all martyrs of Amerikan [sic] imperialism.”
“We must live like the ayatollah did, with his heart for his people, and we must die like he did,” a speaker told the crowd.
Get The Times of Israel’s Daily Edition
by email and never miss our top stories
By signing up, you agree to the terms
Meanwhile, Iranian counter-protesters waved American and Israeli flags while chanting “USA,” “terrorist,” and “Bibi, thank you” — using the nickname for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — from across a metal police barricade.
Counter-protesters in support of Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s last shah, overthrown during the 1979 Islamic Revolution, hold Iran and Israel flags as demonstrators hold a vigil for the late Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in New York, March 6, 2026. (AP/Yuki Iwamura)
According to reports, clashes between demonstrators and counter-protesters occurred after a man attacked another for attempting to pull down a poster of Khamenei. Multiple people were taken into police custody.
“Of course, we needed external intervention to get rid of these terrorists from the whole Middle East, and they have the power of oil behind them,” one pro-war Iranian protester told local media.
Now in its seventh day, the conflict — codenamed Operation Epic Fury by the US and Lion’s Roar by Israel — the US and Israel have battered Iran with strikes, targeting its military capabilities, leadership and nuclear program.
Demonstrators set up a make-shift memorial for a vigil for the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in New York, Friday, March 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
The stated goals and timelines for the war have repeatedly shifted, as the US has at times suggested it seeks to topple Iran’s government or elevate new leadership from within.
The fighting has killed at least 1,230 people in Iran, more than 200 in Lebanon and around a dozen in Israel, according to officials in those countries. Six US troops have been killed.
You appreciate our wartime journalism
You clearly find our careful reporting of the Iran war valuable, at a time when facts are often distorted and news coverage often lacks context.
Your support is essential to continue our work. We want to continue delivering the professional journalism you value, even as the demands on our newsroom have grown dramatically during this ongoing conflict.
So today, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6 a month you’ll become our partners while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel