MARCH 1, 2026
Paramilitary force vehicle is parked on a road as smoke rises in the background, after a protest outside the US Consulate General (Reuters)
At least six people were killed in clashes with police after hundreds stormed the US consulate in Karachi on Sunday, as anger over the killing of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei spilled on to the streets in Pakistan.
Police and paramilitary forces used batons and tear gas to disperse crowds who smashed windows at the diplomatic compound in the southern port city.
Summaiya Syed Tariq, a police surgeon at the city’s principal public hospital, said six bodies, along with several injured individuals, had been taken there. Karachi, the country’s largest city, serves as the capital of the southern province of Sindh.
Police and officials also said that eight others were injured during the clashes.
The unrest in Karachi came hours after confirmation that Khamenei, 86, had been killed in joint US and Israeli air strikes on his Tehran office.
The attack has triggered protests across Pakistan, Iraq and India-administered Kashmir, while Iran retaliated with missiles and drones targeting Israel and US military installations across the Gulf.
In Pakistan’s northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, protesters set fire to a United Nations office in Skardu.
“A large number of protesters have gathered outside the UN office in GB and burned down the building,” local government spokesperson Shabbir Mir said, according to the Press Trust of India, adding that no casualties were reported.
Firefighters douse fire in a vehicle after a protest outside the US Consulate General, following news of US and Israeli strikes on Iran that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Karachi, Pakistan 1 March 2026 (Reuters)
In Lahore, hundreds gathered outside the US consulate.
“Some of the protestors tried to damage the security gate, hundreds of yards away for the Consulate, however, police stopped them without use of force,” eyewitness Aqeel Raza said.
In Baghdad, pro-Iranian demonstrators assembled outside the Green Zone, where the US embassy is located.
The killing of Khamenei marks the second Trump administration strike on Iran in eight months.
Iranian state television said the supreme leader had died in the early hours of Saturday. The cleric, who took power in 1989 after Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s death, had final authority over Iran’s political and military apparatus, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
US president Donald Trump described the moment as transformative. “This is the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their Country,” he said.
He also warned Tehran against escalating retaliation: “Iran just stated that they are going to hit very hard today, harder than they have ever hit before… THEY BETTER NOT DO THAT, HOWEVER, BECAUSE IF THEY DO, WE WILL HIT THEM WITH A FORCE THAT HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE!”
Iran’s cabinet said the killing was a “great crime that will never go unanswered”.
The Revolutionary Guard threatened its “most intense offensive operation” against Israeli and American bases. Parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said: “You have crossed our red line and must pay the price. We will deliver such devastating blows that you yourselves will be driven to beg.”
Iran launched missiles and drones at Israel and at US installations in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar. The Israeli military said dozens of missiles were fired, many intercepted. Israel’s Magen David Adom, the medical emergency service, said a woman died after being wounded in a strike near Tel Aviv.
Across the Gulf, flights were disrupted.
Air defence systems were activated over Dubai, and explosions continued into Sunday morning. Shrapnel from a missile attack killed one person in the United Arab Emirates, state media said. Debris from interceptions caused fires at Dubai’s main port and on the facade of the Burj Al Arab hotel. Saudi Arabia said it repelled attacks on its capital and eastern region, while Jordan reported it had “dealt with” 49 drones and ballistic missiles.
In India-administered Kashmir, thousands gathered in Srinagar’s Lal Chowk and in the Old City, raising anti-US and anti-Israel slogans.
Black flags and portraits of Khamenei were displayed, and mourners recited marsiya, a poetic lament.
Demonstrations spread to Budgam, Baramulla and other districts, with some blocking highways, reported The Indian Express. Muslim organizations in Lucknow, the capital of the most populous Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, have announced protests, condolence meetings and three days of mourning.
Religious and community leaders in the Uttar Pradesh capital said programmes would be held across Shia and Sunni institutions, expressing grief and anger at the development.
Iran has formed a council to govern until a new supreme leader is chosen. State media reported that senior military figures, including the head of the Revolutionary Guard and a top security adviser, were killed in the strikes.
Major general Mohammad Pakpour had recently taken over as Guard commander after his predecessor was killed in a 12-day war last June.
As Tehran declared 40 days of mourning and raised a black flag over the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, eyewitnesses reported mixed reactions in the capital, with some residents mourning and others celebrating from rooftops.
Courtesy/Source: The Independent
