Hundreds of Iranian-Americans fill NYC streets to celebrate Ayatollah Khamenei’s death: ‘Make Iran Great Again’
Dozens of Iranian-Americans celebrated the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in New York City on Sunday after the despot and his army were killed in a US-Israeli strike in Tehran – similar celebrations erupted in other cities around the world.
About 500 people flocked to Midtown in the afternoon chanting “USA! USA! USA!” and “TRUMP, TRUMP! THANK YOU, THANK YOU!” – and carrying banners reading “Make Iran Great Again.”
The group headed to Times Square while waving the Iranian Lion and Sun flag, which was banned after the 1979 Islamic Revolution sent the Middle Eastern nation into an era of violent repression.
Demonstrators even sang the old Iranian national anthem, celebrating the biggest blow Iran’s terrorist regime has suffered in its nearly 50 years – the death of its decades-long leader Khamenei, who was killed Saturday in a US-Israeli crackdown that also killed 40 top officials.
“At home they don’t call it ‘this war.’ They call this ‘rescuing people,’” said Ramin Sohrab, 45, who lives in Connecticut.
“We’re here to thank the president – President Trump, and all the soldiers,” Sohrab said.
And the celebrations weren’t limited to the streets of the United States – families around the world in Iran were also celebrating the strikes that erupted after weeks of violent protests and widespread killings against Khamenei’s government.
“I spoke to my mother this morning and she said we know the military is the only way,” Reza Ebrahimi, 37, told The Post. “He told me that he would rather sacrifice his life to make the world safe. My brother was shot on the second day of the protest.”
“We are the voice of our families who are there and cannot speak. We all have family over there. We are the voice of the people of Iran who cannot speak right now,” said the American-Iranian, adding that the US is “rescuing the people of Iran.”
Nehzat Lavvaf, 47, spoke to her mother in Iran, where she said many people had fled the area as bombs continued to fall — and ignored Iranian state TV channels that they say are urging people to go outside in an attempt to increase the number of casualties due to anti-US propaganda.
“The government or the state TV says go outside – don’t stay inside your home. They ignore the state TV,” said Lavvaf. “They say state TV wants to kill innocent people. That’s why they want them to go outside. It’s crazy. But they say they will listen to President Trump and stay inside.”
But Lavvaf’s family said they are celebrating the strikes as they take refuge from the bombs.
“My mother said she was very happy to hear that we are doing this celebration, she was very happy to hear that today we are celebrating the death of Khomeini,” he said.
“We are all here today to thank Trump to thank the USA. We turned all the music into dance music,” he said. “We’ve all been waiting for this moment.”
Celebrations broke out in other cities across the US – including Los Angeles – while around the world hundreds came from London, Paris and Canada.
In London, jubilant protesters raised Israeli flags alongside the Iranian Lion and Sun flag – in a rare display of unity between two peoples torn apart by conflict and war.
Some in NYC reported seeing some people protesting the strikes throughout the day – but said none seemed to include actual Iranians.
“There were white people and Palestinians but I didn’t see any Iranians,” said Ebrahimi. “I didn’t talk to the people at the protest yesterday who were from Iran.”
“We are here today to celebrate the death of Ayatollah Khomeini and thank the US and its military for what they are doing.”
