HOUSTON, Texas — Drum beats, music and chants filled the streets of Uptown Houston on Sunday as more than 1,000 demonstrators — many of them Iranian Americans — gathered to celebrate the reported death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, following U.S. and Israeli airstrikes.
The rally at Post Oak Boulevard and Westheimer Road was organized by Free Iran Houston. Participants waved Iranian Lion and Sun flags — a pre-revolutionary symbol now embraced by many opponents of Iran’s current government — alongside American and Israeli flags.
Roja Kiani, who said her family fled Iran after the 1979 revolution because they were Baháʼí, described the moment as hopeful. She praised Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu, calling the military action a “rescue mission” for the Iranian people. Kiani said she hopes to one day return to a free Iran.
Hannah Haghighi, another Iranian American whose parents also left Iran due to religious persecution, said she wants to visit Iran without restrictions on dress and speech. Many demonstrators echoed calls for regime change and voiced support for exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi as a potential figure in a post-regime transition.
Dr. Nooshin Motahari, one of the organizers, said similar demonstrations were being held globally. She expressed support for regime change and said the Iranian people themselves could lead it with international backing.
The gathering came amid escalating conflict. News broke during the rally that three American soldiers had been killed, with others wounded. Earlier Sunday, a gunman killed two people and wounded 14 at a bar in Austin. Authorities have not established a confirmed motive, though reports indicated the suspect wore clothing featuring an Iranian flag design.
Political reaction to the strikes has been divided. Hakeem Jeffries said that while Khamenei supported terrorism, military action should not proceed without congressional authorization. Houston-area U.S. Reps. Lizzie Fletcher and Al Green also criticized the lack of prior congressional approval, as did members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, including Sylvia Garcia.
State Rep. Suleman Lalani called for de-escalation and diplomacy, warning against further violence and regional instability.
At the Houston rally, however, many participants framed the strikes not as war but as liberation. “This is not a war on Iran,” Kiani said. “This is a rescue mission for the people of Iran.”