Masih Alinejad, an Iranian American journalist who has advocated the overthrow of the Islamic regime since she fled to the U.S. in 2009, shed tears of joy Saturday upon learning that Iran's leader, Ali Khamenei, was killed.
President Donald Trump announced that Khamenei died in the U.S.-Israeli operation Saturday targeting the regime's leadership and military assets. Iran's Islamic Republic News Agency also reported that the operation claimed the life of Khamenei, 86.
"Every morning, I wake up reading that my people are being killed by Ali Khamenei, but this is the first morning in my life that I get the good news," Alinejad said, her voice breaking as she fought back tears, in a video she posted on X. "I want to run, I want to run, I want to run, I want to run, I want to just run and shout, and shout, and shout out of joy, out of joy, out of joy, out of joy."
The video then showed Alinejad shouting on the streets of New York, where she lives in exile:
"Ali Khamenei is dead! Free Iran! Free Iran! The dictator Ali Khamenei is dead!"
The video showed her hugging passersby and cars honking in support as she cried: "I love America, thank you. I love you, Trump. I love America. I want to tell everyone."
Appearing on CBS News earlier Saturday, Alinejad said Khamenei's death was "a day of celebration."
"If he is really dead, this is a day of celebration," she said. "I call every Iranian, every American, do not mourn, do not even dare to mourn for the killing of a terrorist because removing a terrorist is not tragedy. It is a sign of justice."
She then listed several Iranian civilians killed by the regime, including Neda Agha-Soltan and Mahsa Amini.
"Let's not forget the innocent unarmed civilians being killed because of him," she said. "He ordered my killings three times. He ordered the killings of innocent Iranians for 47 years.
"And that's the dream of me to be alive to tell Iranians, celebrate this moment. When Osama bin Laden was killed, what did Americans do? My fellow American citizens, what did you do?
"Did you mourn the killing of Osama bin Laden? No, because you saw this as a sign of justice for the victims of Sept. 11.
"If Ali Khamenei is killed, this is a sign of justice for the family members of thousands of unarmed innocent people who have faced a massacre, who have been executed because of this guy. Do not dare to mourn for terrorists."
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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