Some in the Iranian diaspora in the United States gathered in major cities to cheer the news of the U.S. and Israeli attacks that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran who ruled the Islamic Republic with an iron fist for nearly four decades.
“Oh, my God, is that happening finally?” asked Peymaneh Khodayari of San Diego. “Because we were waiting for a long time.”
Her relatives still in Iran were not hiding in shelters, she said, but instead were outside celebrating.
“People in Iran are dancing,” Kamran Amintaheri told NBC San Diego.
In Los Angeles, sometimes called “Tehrangeles” and where a large number of Iranians fled the theocratic regime that took over after the Iranian revolution in 1979, dozens of people rallied outside the Wilshire Federal Building in Westwood carrying Iranian, American and Israeli flags, NBC News reported.
Those gathered chanted “Freedom for Iran,” “No More Ayatollah” and “King Reza Pahlavi,” referring to the son of the shah who ruled Iran until 1979.
“Reza Pahlavi is our leader,” Khodayari agreed. “And the people just want to change the government. We don’t want any Islamic Republic in Iran. We want a democracy.”
In Washington, D.C., demonstrators gathered to show support for the people of Iran, with one attendee describing the strikes as a “rescue operation,” to stop the Islamic Republic from killing civilians. Thousands of people were killed when the regime cracked down on recent protests, human rights groups have said.
The D.C. organizers also were backers of Pahlavi, who lives in exile and has said he could be a transitional leader. But Iranians are divided in their support for the former crown prince.
While many rallies voiced strong support for the military action, there were also opposing protests condemning the attacks and warning of wider regional consequences.
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