Cheers in Tehran. Retaliation and mourning announced by Iran. Protests erupting in some parts of the Muslim world, celebrations in others.The world greeted with trepidation the news Sunday that Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been killed in the US-Israeli strikes on the Islamic republic one day earlier.- Music in Tehran -Iranians took to the streets cheering with joy, setting off fireworks and playing celebratory music after reports of Khamenei’s death, according to witnesses and video footage verified by AFP. The celebrations in Tehran began shortly after 11:00 pm (1930 GMT), even before Iranian state television had confirmed US President Donald Trump’s statement that Khamenei was dead, according to multiple witnesses and audio recordings. People were not, however, coming out en masse to celebrate, according to social media.Many Iranians were fearful after the deadly crackdown on mass anti-government protests in January. – Mourning in Tehran -The thousands who did gather in the centre of Iran’s capital were instead mourning Khamenei’s death, according to AFP journalists. The mourners, dressed mostly in black and some crying, chanted “death to America” and “death to Israel” in Enghelab (Revolution) Square, with many waving Iran’s flags and holding photos of Khamenei.Iranian state television announced a 40-day mourning period and seven public holidays. – ‘War on Muslims’ -Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday branded Khamenei’s killing a “declaration of war against Muslims” by Israel and the United States. “The Islamic Republic of Iran considers it its legitimate duty and right to avenge the perpetrators and masterminds of this historic crime,” Pezeshkian said in a statement carried by state TV. Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards vowed earlier on Sunday to punish Khamenei’s “murderers”.- ‘Cynical violation’ -Russian President Vladimir Putin, a key ally of Tehran, on Sunday slammed Khamenei’s killing as a “a cynical violation of all norms of human morality and international law”.In a letter to Pezeshkian published by the Kremlin, Putin also expressed his “deepest condolences for the assassination”.- ‘Most evil’ -“Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead,” Trump said, announcing the killing on his Truth Social network late Saturday.The killing “is the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their country,” Trump said.- ‘Cruel tyrant’ -Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also called for Iranians to “overthrow the regime” after Khamenei’s killing.”For more than three and a half decades, this cruel tyrant has spread terror across the world while oppressing his own people, while working tirelessly and without pause on a plan to destroy Israel,” he said in a televised statement.- ‘Dustbin of history’ -The son of Iran’s late shah on Saturday hailed the killing, saying the Islamic republic that replaced his pro-Western father was finished.”With his death, the Islamic Republic has effectively come to an end and will soon be consigned to the dustbin of history,” Reza Pahlavi wrote on X.- ‘Guiding light’ -Iraqi leaders, including influential cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, on Sunday mourned Khamenei.”We extend our condolences to the Islamic world,” Al-Sadr said in a statement, declaring a three-day period of mourning.Government spokesman Bassem al-Awadi said in a statement that Khamenei was killed in “a blatant act of aggression”.- Deadly protests -At least nine people were killed as hundreds of pro-Iranian protesters tried to storm the United States consulate in the Pakistan megacity of Karachi on Sunday, according to a hospital toll seen by AFP.Hundreds of Iraqis also attempted Sunday to storm Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone, where the US embassy is located, an AFP journalist reported.- ‘Few people will mourn’ -UK Defence Secretary John Healey said on Sunday that “few people will mourn” Khamenei, echoing Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s view.”Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was responsible for the regime’s ballistic missile and nuclear programme, support for armed proxies and its brutal acts of violence and intimidation against its own people,” Albanese told reporters.- ‘Free Iran’ -Jubilant Iranian-Americans on Saturday took to the streets from Boston to Los Angeles to cheer Khamenei’s death and voice hope for a brighter future for their homeland.In Los Angeles, home to a massive Iranian diaspora, singing and ululating marchers carried flags of shah-era Iran and posters bearing Trump’s image, with some wearing “Free Iran” shirts.- ‘Heinous’ attack -Iran’s ally Hamas on Sunday mourned Khamanei, saying he “provided all forms of political, diplomatic and military support to our people, our cause and our resistance”. “The US and the fascist occupation government bear full responsibility for this blatant aggression and heinous crime,” the Palestinian Islamist group said. Fellow Iran proxy Hezbollah likewise vowed to “undertake our duty of confronting the aggression” of Israel and the US, the Lebanese group’s chief Naim Qassem said in a statement.burs-sbk/st

The biggest disruption to global air transport since the Covid pandemic continued Sunday, with thousands of flights affected and busy Middle Eastern hubs including Dubai and Doha shuttered as Iran lashed out after US-Israeli strikes.Israel and Iran traded new attacks Sunday, after Tehran hit both the Dubai International Airport — the world’s busiest for international traffic — and Kuwait’s main airport during its retaliatory strikes one day earlier. Iran, Iraq, Israel, Syria, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates had all announced at least partial closures of their skies Saturday after the US and Israel attacked Iran, bringing civilian air traffic over the Middle East to an abrupt halt. Notable airlines that cancelled services included Emirates, Etihad, Air France, British Airways, Air India, Turkish Airlines, and Lufthansa.Flight tracking site FlightAware said that more than 6,700 flights had been delayed and 1900 cancelled globally as of 1000 GMT Sunday, on top of thousands the day before.- Airspace closures -Iran swiftly closed its airspace as the strikes began “until further notice”, said the spokesman of Iran’s Civil Aviation Organisation, quoted by the Tasnim news agency.Israel also closed its airspace to civilian flights, Transport Minister Miri Regev announced.Qatar’s civil aviation authority said it had temporarily closed the Gulf state’s airspace.Iraq shut down airspace, state media said. The United Arab Emirates said it was closing its skies “partially and temporarily”.Syria closed part of its airspace in the south along the border with Israel for 12 hours, the Civil Aviation Authority said.Jordan’s air force was conducting drills to “defend the kingdom’s skies”, its military said.Kuwait closed its airspace.- Middle East and North Africa airlines -Gulf carriers Emirates and Etihad cancelled 38 percent and 30 percent of their flights respectively, Cirium said.Qatar Airways suspended all flights from Doha. It cancelled 41 percent of total flights, according to aviation analytics company Cirium.Syria Air, the country’s national carrier, cancelled all flights until further notice.Egypt’s national airline, EgyptAir, announced the suspension of its flights to cities across the Middle East, including Dubai, Doha, Manama, Abu Dhabi, Beirut and Baghdad among others. – European airlines -Russia’s air transport authority Rosaviatsia said all commercial flights to Israel and Iran were cancelled “until further notice”. Turkish Airlines cancelled flights to Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Jordan until March 2.Air France cancelled its Dubai, Riyadh, Beirut and Tel Aviv flights until Sunday, extending its earlier suspension. British Airways said it was not flying to Tel Aviv and Bahrain until March 4, and cancelled flights to the Jordanian capital Amman on Saturday.Swiss International Air Lines suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv until March 7, and cancelled flights from Zurich to Dubai scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.Germany’s Lufthansa, which comprises Swiss and ITA Airways, cancelled its flights to and from Tel Aviv, Beirut, Amman, Erbil and Tehran until March 7. The airline group and its subsidiaries suspended flights to and from Dubai and Abu Dhabi until Sunday.- North America airlines -Delta Air Lines suspended New York–Tel Aviv flights until Sunday.American Airlines “temporarily suspended” Doha-Philadelphia flights.United flights to Tel Aviv are cancelled until Monday, and flights to Dubai until Sunday.Air Canada said it cancelled flights from Canada to Israel until March 8 and to Dubai until March 3.- Asia-Pacific airlines -India’s two largest private carriers IndiGo and Air India suspended flights to all destinations in the Middle East.Pakistan International Airlines, the flag carrier of the country that borders Iran, said it had suspended flights to the UAE, Bahrain, Doha and Kuwait.Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific suspended flights to Dubai and Riyadh.Garuda Indonesia, Indonesia’s flag carrier, temporarily suspended flights to and from Doha “until further notice”, the company said in a statement Sunday.Singapore Airlines and Singapore’s Scoot cancelled six flight routes in the region until the end of Sunday, local media reported.Philippine Airlines flights from Manila to Doha, Riyadh to Manila, and Dubai to Manila were cancelled on Saturday, as well as one Doha-Manila flight on Sunday.Other major airlines including Australia’s Qantas and Japan’s All Nippon Airways did not announce any flight cancellations. – Africa airlines -Ethiopian Airlines cancelled its flights to Amman, Tel Aviv, Dammam, and Beirut. Kenya Airways has suspended its flights to Dubai and Sharjah until further notice. burs-sbk/st