Thousands of Iranians Celebrate Death of Khamenei Across the Netherlands

Large crowds gathered in Amsterdam and The Hague on Sunday to celebrate the death of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed alongside several top officials in joint US-Israeli airstrikes on Saturday. Around 2,000 people danced and applauded on the Dam in Amsterdam, while roughly 200 gathered near the Iranian embassy in The Hague.

Spontaneous celebrations had already begun Saturday evening in Groningen and Apeldoorn following confirmation of Khamenei's death. By Sunday afternoon, organised gatherings drew thousands more to central Amsterdam and the diplomatic quarter of The Hague.

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"40 days of celebration"

In Amsterdam, many waved the pre-revolutionary Iranian flag bearing the ancient Lion and Sun symbol, which the Islamic Republic removed after the 1979 Revolution. Israeli flags and Dutch flags were also visible. A car from a model available in Iran before the revolution was parked in the square.

Some participants carried signs reading "No more Islam for Iran" and "Make Iran Great Again." Others handed out sweets and opened bottles of champagne.

Aigin, born in Iran but raised in the Netherlands and married to a Dutch citizen, offered chocolates with pistachio filling to fellow celebrants. "You can't be happy about someone's death, of course, but Khamenei was a very bad person," she told ANP, citing his role in suppressing political freedoms and enforcing strict religious laws. She said she hopes former crown prince Reza Pahlavi will temporarily take power to establish a democracy, adding that she and her husband would then consider moving to Iran.

"The Islamic regime in Tehran has declared 40 days of national mourning," Pejman Akbarzadeh, director of the Persian Dutch Network, told DutchNews. "But what I see inside the country, and also among the Persian diaspora here, feels more like 40 days of national celebration."

In The Hague, about 200 people gathered roughly 100 metres from the Iranian embassy. The Iranian national anthem played as a large Iranian flag was unfurled for dancing. Police were present to oversee the area.

"We're not happy about war, of course, but this is the only option," activist Nastaran Beik Pourian told the AD in The Hague. "We need other countries."

Saturday's demonstration turned celebration

The gatherings followed protests earlier in the weekend. On Saturday, hundreds demonstrated on the Malieveld in The Hague against the Iranian regime. The demonstration shifted into celebration after unconfirmed reports began circulating that Khamenei had been killed. Demonstrators danced, embraced, and chanted "Iran, Iran, Iran."

The Sunday gatherings were organised in advance, with public calls urging participants to "celebrate the end of one of the most brutal dictators and mass murderers of our time." The Amsterdam event included a march to the US consulate at 3 p.m. Attendees were asked to bring Iranian, Israeli, and American flags.

Context of ongoing tensions

The celebrations came against a backdrop of heightened tensions between the Iranian diaspora and the regime. In mid-January, Dutch police arrested four people after stones were thrown at the Iranian embassy in The Hague during mass anti-government protests inside Iran. At the end of January, around 2,000 people gathered on the Malieveld to protest the Iranian regime, with Dutch MP Ulysse Ellian, whose father fled Iran, declaring: "We no longer want an Islamic regime; their end has come."

Khamenei had ruled Iran since 1989, overseeing the violent suppression of multiple protest movements including the January 2026 demonstrations in which Iranian authorities acknowledged 2,000 people were killed.

Diaspora divided on future

Not all celebrants agreed on what should come next. While some expressed hope that Reza Pahlavi, son of Iran's last shah who has lived in exile in the United States, would lead a transition to democracy, others were more cautious.

Farzad, an entrepreneur from Amstelveen who left Iran more than 30 years ago, expressed doubt about quickly establishing democracy. "I don't think Pahlavi should take the lead," he said.

Pahlavi told The Washington Post on Sunday that he intends to lead a transitional period for Iran. He had earlier urged opponents of the regime to stay sheltered rather than attempt an immediate uprising. "Stay alert and ready to return to the streets for the final action at the appropriate time," he said Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Netherlands sharply tightened travel warnings across the Middle East following Iranian retaliatory attacks. KLM suspended flights to Dubai, Tel Aviv, Riyadh and Dammam until at least Thursday, stranding hundreds of passengers. The Dutch embassies in Tehran and Kuwait City remained closed to the public as a precautionary measure.