Pro-Iran mobs in Pakistan, Iraq try to storm US embassies; at least 8 killed |
KARACHI, Pakistan — Pro-Iranian protesters angered by the death of Iran supreme leader Ali Khamenei tried to storm the US consulate in Pakistan’s Karachi on Sunday, leaving eight dead, and the fortified Green Zone hosting Washington’s embassy in the Iraqi capital Baghdad.
Iranian state media confirmed the death of Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader since 1989 and sworn enemy of the West, on Sunday, after the opening salvo of a massive US and Israeli attack.
In the Pakistani megacity of Karachi, hundreds of pro-Iranian protesters tried to enter the US mission, an AFP journalist saw.
At least eight people were killed in the protests and at least 20 were injured, Muhammad Amin, a spokesman for the Edhi Foundation rescue service said, adding most had bullet wounds.
A crowd of young people climbed over the main gate and gained access to the driveway of the consular building, smashing some windows.
Police fired tear gas at the protesters, who dispersed.
Locals protesting stikes on Iran have stormed the entrance area of the US Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan. pic.twitter.com/fiqSoRRpPt — OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) March 1, 2026
Locals protesting stikes on Iran have stormed the entrance area of the US Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan. pic.twitter.com/fiqSoRRpPt
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) March 1, 2026
Videos on social media showed youngsters smashing the windows of the main building of the consulate as the American flag could be seen flying over the compound, whose perimeter is topped with barbed wire.
Thousands of people were also taking to the streets in the eastern city of Lahore and in northern Skardu, with a demonstration expected in the afternoon near the diplomatic enclave housing the US embassy in the capital Islamabad.
After Karachi, now US Consulate in Lahore attacked by Pakistani protestors. pic.twitter.com/5FyBKnnxEC — Man Aman Singh Chhina (@manaman_chhina) March 1, 2026
After Karachi, now US Consulate in Lahore attacked by Pakistani protestors. pic.twitter.com/5FyBKnnxEC
— Man Aman Singh Chhina (@manaman_chhina) March 1, 2026
Hundreds try to storm US embassy in Baghdad
In Baghdad, hundreds of Iraqis, many dressed in black, attempted to storm the compound housing the American embassy on Sunday despite a heavy security deployment.
Ali, a masked protester, told AFP “the martyrdom of Sayyed Ali Khamenei has hurt us,” referring to the slain theocrat by an honorific for descendants of Prophet Muhammad.
“We are here because we want the withdrawal of the occupying American forces from Iraq,” he said, referring to US-led coalition troops who have recently reduced their presence and are now mostly stationed in northern Iraq.
Protesters, who had gathered in the Iraqi capital since early Sunday, hurled stones at security forces, who responded with tear gas.
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