Demonstrations erupted across the United States and in parts of Pakistan after news that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been killed in joint US and Israeli airstrikes on Tehran, intensifying global tensions, reports Al Jazeera.
In Washington, crowds gathered outside the White House, while in New York hundreds assembled in Times Square to denounce President Donald Trump’s decision to strike Iran. Protesters criticised the administration for launching military action without congressional approval and warned of another prolonged conflict in the Middle East, according to The Guardian.
Rallies were organised by a coalition of leftwing groups, including the ANSWER Coalition, the National Iranian American Council, 50501, American Muslims for Palestine, the People’s Forum, the Palestinian Youth Movement, CodePink, the Black Alliance for Peace and the Democratic Socialists of America. The coalition announced further “emergency protests” in cities such as Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami and Minneapolis.
Additional demonstrations were scheduled for Sunday in smaller cities including Albany in New York state, Ellensburg in Virginia, Chattanooga in Tennessee, Decorah in Iowa, Gainesville in Florida and Springfield in Missouri.
Organisers described the strikes as an unprovoked and illegal act of war that threatened widespread death and destruction, saying Americans rejected another open-ended conflict. New York mayor Zohran Mamdani, aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America, earlier characterised the US and Israeli strikes as a catastrophic escalation in what he called an illegal war of aggression.
The American Civil Liberties Union joined a number of Democratic lawmakers in calling on Congress to take immediate action to halt what it described as Trump’s unconstitutional use of military force. The group reiterated its long-standing position that the US Constitution requires specific, advance authorisation from Congress before military force is used, citing past conflicts from Vietnam to Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya, as well as ongoing operations in Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Somalia.
Protests took place as the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s counterterrorism and counterintelligence teams were placed on heightened alert nationwide. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said she was coordinating with federal intelligence and law enforcement partners to monitor and prevent potential threats to the homeland.
Unrest also spread overseas.
In Karachi, at least nine people were killed near the United States consulate after protests broke out early on Sunday following Khamenei’s assassination, an official told Al Jazeera. Security forces opened fire to disperse hundreds of pro-Iran demonstrators attempting to storm the consulate building on Mai Kolachi Road.
Police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed said at least nine bodies had been brought to Karachi’s civil hospital. Video footage verified by Al Jazeera showed a wounded person being transported by bystanders. Images circulated online showed protesters attempting to breach the consulate compound.
Large protests were reported elsewhere in Pakistan.
In Skardu, in the Shia-majority Gilgit Baltistan region in the north, protesters set fire to a United Nations office building. Local government spokesperson Shabbir Mir told Reuters that a large number of demonstrators had gathered outside the UN office and burned down the building, adding that no casualties had been reported.
In Lahore, hundreds gathered outside the US consulate, though there were no immediate reports of violence. Witnesses told Reuters that some protesters attempted to damage a security gate several hundred yards from the consulate but were stopped by police without force. A demonstration was also expected near the diplomatic enclave housing the US embassy in Islamabad later on Sunday.
Protests over Khamenei’s killing were also reported in Iraq, Morocco and Indian-administered Kashmir.
In Baghdad, pro-Iran demonstrators gathered outside the heavily fortified Green Zone, where the US embassy is located.
