Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps pledged strong retaliation against the United States and Israel following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei. However, in Tehran, some citizens took to the streets with cheers amid the bombing, welcoming the fall of the authoritarian regime.
In a statement released on June 1 (local time), the Revolutionary Guard confirmed Ayatollah Khamenei's death and warned it would "deliver harsh, decisive punishment that will make those who killed the Imam of the Ummah (Islamic community) regret their actions."
The statement identified the United States and Israel as Ayatollah Khamenei's "murderers." The Guard notably deified him by revering him as an "Imam," a spiritual leader in Shia Islam.
"The avenging hands of the Iranian people seeking to punish them will not let go of their necks," the Revolutionary Guard stated. "The Revolutionary Guard, the Republican Army, and the great Basij militia will deliver punitive lessons to the aggressors against conspiracies from within and without to defend the precious legacy of this great leader."
In a follow-up statement, the Revolutionary Guard warned that "the most devastating attack in the military history of the Islamic Republic of Iran will be launched against the occupied territories (Israel) and the bases of American terrorists."
However, according to Bloomberg, videos filmed inside Iran were shared on social media as Iranian state television officially announced Khamenei's death at 5 a.m. on Sunday. The footage showed crowds pouring into the streets in the early morning hours, with car horns honking and citizens dancing, chanting slogans, and celebrating, Bloomberg reported. As Khamenei's death shook control over key state functions, previously banned internet access became harder to block, allowing such scenes to spread more rapidly.
Bloomberg noted that Iranian millennials born after 1989 have never experienced life without Khamenei in power, making this development all the more unimaginable. In this "power vacuum," whoever is designated as successor is unlikely to wield the same level of authority as Khamenei, the report added.