Khamenei's death met with public mourning, quiet celebrations as regime's opponents wait for an opening Mar 01, 2026 · Marin Scott · nbcnews.com read more » For the first time in 37 years, the sun rose on a leaderless Tehran, its streets unusually hushed as Iranians awoke to the news that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been killed in joint U.S.-Israeli airstrikes Read more »