Washington, Feb 28 (EFE).- A small but jubilant crowd gathered outside the White House on Saturday after President Donald Trump announced the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in US-Israeli strikes, while separate protests nearby denounced Washington’s military intervention.
Dozens assembled in Lafayette Square waving Iranian flags and chanting “Thank you, Trump” and “Thank you, Bibi,” referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The celebration, though energetic at moments, remained relatively contained. Several Iranian-Americans said they viewed the reported killing as a turning point.
Arash, a young Iranian-American, told EFE he had come “to thank President Trump for the rescue operations of the Iranians.”
“We have been protesting for seven weeks to reflect the voice of Iranians, especially those who can no longer speak because they were killed. Today we gathered again with even more reason,” he said, adding that he hopes to return to Iran once democracy is established.
Melody, 35, born in the United States to Iranian parents who fled after the 1979 revolution, said her family left because of political and religious persecution.
“My mother’s father was a colonel. They were shot. It’s not a unique story, there are many like us,” she said. “We are celebrating a victory for us: the death of the supreme leader who has oppressed the Iranian people.”
Amira, also holding an Iranian flag, described Khamenei as “Iran’s number one terrorist” and praised the Trump administration for eliminating him.
Khamenei, Iran’s highest political and religious authority since 1989, has led the Islamic Republic for more than three decades. Iranian authorities have not confirmed his death.
Not far from the White House, dozens of demonstrators protested against US military involvement in the Middle East.
A larger rally unfolded in Washington’s Georgetown neighborhood, where hundreds marched along Wisconsin Avenue waving pre-1979 Iranian flags and chanting “U-S-A, U-S-A.”
Protests opposing the Trump administration’s intervention were also called in several US cities, including Boston, Chicago, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami and New York.
The Washington metropolitan area is home to one of the largest Iranian diaspora communities in the United States.
Among its most prominent figures is Reza Pahlavi, son of Iran’s last shah, who was overthrown in the 1979 revolution.
Living in the United States since the late 1970s, Pahlavi has positioned himself as an opposition figure and is viewed by some supporters as a potential transitional leader in a post-regime Iran. EFE
acd-sk
