Perth Iranian celebrations: Crowd claim they are ‘absolutely ecstatic’ at Donald Trump ‘intervention’

Along the foreshore of South Perth on Sunday evening, members of Perth’s Iranian community gathered in scenes of raw emotion — singing, dancing and sharing food as they marked the death of Iran’s long-time supreme leader. A jet ski skipped along the foreshore with the Iranian imperial flag of the lion and son in tow - the crowd was overjoyed by this sight, cheering and chanting in unison. Organisers who spoke in Persian encouraged revellers to “dance in celebration”, a sentiment met by thunderous claps from the hundreds in attendance. People who have been too afraid to speak out for fear of retribution to family members in the homeland have been able to share that they are “absolutely ecstatic” — celebrating not a war, but what they call “an intervention”. “Every Iranian I know is overjoyed right now, anyone protesting America’s involvement doesn’t understand what we’ve been through,” the celebration’s co-organiser, Mansour, shared. “I’ve had all these decorations in my car for weeks now. “We all so desperately wanted this to happen - to celebrate, we believe in the crown prince and we can only hope for a better future for Iran.” Those gathered in Perth held a minute’s silence to remember Iranians in their homeland who lost their lives in protest. They flew flags of Australia, the United States of America and Israel above the command tent, while the sound of a reliable bongo drum kept the audiences spirits high. Scenes of jubilation were replicated in major cities around Australia, including the nation’s capital. People gathered outside the now-closed Iranian embassy to cheer the death of the Ayatollah and praise US and Israeli leaders - waving flags, embracing one-another and clapping as they shared a rare sense of optimism for the future of Iran. However, in Sydney and Melbourne anti-war protests broke out, with the socialist alliance condemning the attacks and calling for the US to halt its intervention. Protesters held signs which read, “only the people of Iran should decide their fate” and “hands off Iran” More than 85,000 Iranian-born people live in Australia, including nearly 6500 in WA. “To say we welcome this is the understatement of the century,” said Iranian-born Perth man Yashar Bahmani. “They were begging for this, praying for this everyday… people were losing hope. “At 4 o’clock in the morning I opened my phone and I saw the news that finally we had been given support… I can’t find the words to describe it, we have to pinch ourselves, its something we have wanted for so long. “To us this isn’t a war, this is what we needed - many of us are supporting the crown prince, we see him as the only option for the future of Iran.” For Mr Bahmani, the night would be marked by “tears of joy.” Mina Ehsan said the weekend developments had evoked was a complex feeling. “I don’t want to celebrate war or violence against innocent but Iranians have lived in fear for so long,” the Perth mother-of-two said. “Right now we are happy because we have hope - we have been protesting in recent months around Perth, trying to raise awareness to what is really happening. “Iranian people just want to be united, we hope for a future where we can have independence and dignity.” Ava, 20, who did not want her surname published to protect her extended family, also welcomed the dramatic developments. “We’ve been hoping the US would do something for the last few months — 40,000 protesters fighting against the regime were killed,” she said. “My whole family is back over there. It’s only my parents, my little brother and I in Australia. “I got a phone call from my uncle, he said he heard something from his apartment, he said it was bigger than anything he’d heard recently.” Iranian state media confirmed on Sunday that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in his office during US-Israeli air strikes, in a dramatic escalation of international tensions that has sent shockwaves across the globe. In the aftermath, the United States and Israel urged Iranians to seize what they described as an opportunity to topple the regime. Local Iranian outlets have reported that a three-person council will assume leadership of the country following Ali Khamenei’s death.