By Paul Joseph
Scenes of jubilation unfolded in major cities across Europe, the United States, and Australia Sunday after joint strikes by U.S. and Israeli forces which struck Iranian targets and killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and others.
Iranian state media and multiple international outlets confirmed Khamenei’s death following coordinated military action that began late Saturday.
In the hours after the announcement, spontaneous gatherings were reported in city centers from London’s West End to New York’s Times Square and Sydney’s CBD, where diverse crowds waved national flags, chanted slogans, and in some cases openly celebrated a development they viewed as a significant geopolitical turning point.
In London, video circulating on social media showed people of Iranian and Israeli descent embracing and waving both Israeli flags and the old pre-1979 Iranian tricolour as onlookers cheered. One participant told broadcasters the moment represented “a new hope for the Iranian people.”
Similar scenes were described in parts of Berlin and Paris, where small but animated groups congregated near major public squares, waving U.S. and allied flags late into the night.
In New York, crowds outside the United Nations headquarters erupted into applause when live updates confirmed the strike.
Reports from Sydney’s Martin Place captured by local journalists also described an energized crowd waving flags and chanting in support of the operation.
However, global leaders issued contrasting responses. While some Western officials framed the strikes as a measure to degrade an adversarial regime and curb Tehran’s regional influence, others urged caution and restraint to prevent a broader escalation.
However, Russian President Vladimir Putin sharply condemned the killing, calling it a violation of international law, and urged de-escalation.
The strikes have already triggered retaliatory Iranian missile and drone attacks on U.S. and allied military positions in the region, raising fears of a protracted conflict with significant regional and global implications.
Western governments meanwhile scrambled to address concerns about economic shocks, particularly in energy markets and international security alliances.
In Tehran and across Iran, the mood stood in stark contrast: footage from state media showed mourners in the streets as authorities announced a period of national mourning.
The reaction underscored deep domestic divisions within Iran even as military exchanges continued around the country and beyond.
As night fell in capitals around the world, the contrast between jubilant crowds abroad and tense uncertainty at home both in Iran and within global capitals reflected a shifting era in geopolitics after one of the most dramatic military escalations in years
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