When the crowd reached my street, I noticed dozens of Iranian flags, along with a few Israeli and American flags. As the march moved closer, I could finally read some of the signs. A few said, “Thank You, Mr. Trump” and “Thank you with gratitude America, with respect Israel, our leader, our hope, Reza Pahlavi.” This caught me completely off guard. I had assumed I was watching a protest, but instead it seemed like a celebration, or demonstration of support.
Curious and confused, I approached a couple of people nearby who were also watching the march and asked if they knew what was happening. One man explained that there had reportedly been airstrikes around Tehran, the capital of Iran, and that Iran’s supreme leader had been killed. He asked if I was American (apparently my accent and oblivion gave it away), and then laughed lightly before saying, “You should really read the news. Your president bombed Tehran and killed their leader, Ali Khamenei.” He went on to describe how, in his view, the leader had ruled Iran as a brutal dictator, who suppressed many basic rights. Still, he added that despite that history, the way that Ali Khamenei was killed was "messed up" to him.
The march continued past us for another ten to fifteen minutes. Many people were chanting, playing music, dancing, and singing. It was a striking scene. The atmosphere was joyful and celebratory for many of the participants, yet witnessing people celebrate the death of a political leader also felt strangely grim.
Later that day, I read more about the situation and saw a wide range of reactions online.
