‘You weren’t free’: Iranians party in London and Manchester after strikes against regime

‘You weren’t free’: Iranians party in London and Manchester after strikes against regime

The diaspora hope the death of Ali Khamenei will bring change – and peace – even as fears remain over Iran’s future On Saturday night, with bombs falling across the Middle East and rumours of the death of Ali Khamenei , the longtime ayatollah of Iran, spreading, the streets of north London resembled a party. Thousands of revellers filled Finchley Road, a part of London often called Little Tehran because of the large Iranian community, waving a sea of flags, many with the Lion and Sun, the flag of the Iranian state before the 1979 Islamic revolution. Continue reading...

Vali-e Asr vigil - Hundreds gather in central Tehran to mourn Supreme Leader Khamenei

Vali-e Asr vigil - Hundreds gather in central Tehran to mourn Supreme Leader Khamenei

"Hundreds of mourners gathered at Vali-e Asr Square in central Tehran on Sunday to commemorate the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, killed during the US-Israel attacks on Saturday. Footage shows people, many dressed in black, waving Iranian flags at the square and chanting. Iranian state media reported the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei during the attacks, prompting Tehran to declare 40 days of national mourning and a seven-day public holiday, with all government offices and schools closed as the country prepares for funeral rites. The United States and Israel launched a joint strike on Saturday, with US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowing to 'destroy Iran's missiles.'  In response, Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps said that 'widespread missile and drone attacks' against Israel were underway. US bases were also reportedly targeted in the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Iraq and Kuwait. The developments follow three recent rounds of talks between Iranian and American officials, one held in Muscat and two in Geneva. Russia, China, France, Bahrain and Colombia have called for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council, where members were divided between urging an immediate halt to hostilities and pressing Iran to abandon its nuclear programme."