Iranian-American journalist and activist Masih Alinejad posted an emotional video on X, reacting to reports that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has been killed.
“Finally, you’re dead, finally, you’re gone, Ali Khamenei,” she said in the clip, her voice breaking with emotion.
“Every morning I wake up reading that my people are being killed by Ali Khamenei,” the Iranian-origin activist added. “But this is the first morning in my life that I get the good news. I wanna run and shout out of joy Ali Khamenei is dead! Free Iran!”
She said: “Oh my god, I love America, thank you. Ali Khamenei is dead! Ali Khamenei is dead!”
Alinejad, who was the target of a failed assassination plot at her Brooklyn home in 2022 that US prosecutors linked to the Iranian government, has long been an outspoken critic of Tehran’s leadership.
Her reaction comes amid conflicting claims over Khamenei’s status reported following joint US-Israeli strikes. Iranian authorities have not independently confirmed his death, and the situation remains fluid as regional tensions escalate.
Earlier, she also sharply criticised New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for condemning US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran.
“You stayed quiet when we have faced massacre, when Islamic Republic assassins were sent here in New York to kill us — stay quiet now!” she wrote. “STOP lecturing us Iranians about peace.”
Alinejad accused Mamdani of “sympathising” with a regime she said killed more than 30,000 Iranians during January protests. “New York belongs to people who stand against terrorism, not those who excuse it,” she said.
In an interview with CBS News, Alinejad added: “I know maybe you and many other people hate President [Donald] Trump. But believe me, this is not the right time to shift your hatred and your anger from President Trump to the people of Iran.”
