00:03In the Iranian city of Karaj, people fill the streets in celebration after news that
00:08U.S.-Israeli strikes seeking regime change over the country's nuclear program have killed the
00:12country's supreme leader, the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In the capital Tehran, voices could
00:21be heard late into the night calling for a return of Iran's monarchy, driven out in a revolution
00:25nearly 50 years ago. Now, many want a new revolution to topple the Islamic theocracy that's been in
00:32place ever since. After a violent government crackdown on mass protests earlier in the year
00:37that may have killed tens of thousands of people, foreign intervention now seems to have opened that
00:42possibility. But Iran is under an internet blackout, meaning the whole picture may be more complex than
00:50the footage that's gotten out might suggest. Iran's state TV says that strikes have killed
00:55civilians, including at least 118 inside this girls' elementary school. An unidentified
01:01person had this response, showing the government, too, has its supporters.
01:24But that leader, Ali Khamenei, is now dead. His death was claimed publicly by U.S. President Donald Trump and
01:31first denied, then confirmed, by Iranian state media.
01:34State TV's announcement hasn't named a successor. A three-person council will reportedly oversee a transition.
01:40But what comes next isn't a question the wider region has much time to mull over right now.
01:46Because Iran is hitting back with drone and missile strikes of its own.
01:54U.S. installations in nearby countries, like this naval center in Bahrain, are among its chief targets.
02:03As is Israel in general, like this part of Tel Aviv where firefighters battled flames.
02:12But around the Gulf, civilian sites like this residential block were hit, too.
02:16The place where the questions what happened and what comes next are under fierce debate is the United States.
02:23Iran is yet another issue splitting an already polarized nation.
02:30In Los Angeles, home to a large Iranian-American community, there was dancing and hugging in the streets at the
02:36news of Khamenei's death.
02:37With messages of thanks to President Trump and pre-Islamic revolution flags speaking of years of bitter exile.
02:45We've been up the whole night following the news.
02:49It's just a liberation. We don't look at it as an attack.
02:52It's just like World War II when they liberated the countries in Europe.
02:58And we are happy that the people of Iran are finally being liberated.
03:05But in places like New York, there are uncomfortable memories of past U.S. interventions.
03:11And a strong disquiet with the current administration.
03:14I woke up this morning. Now we're bombing Iran.
03:18We didn't learn from the Iraq war.
03:20We need a regime change here in this country.
03:24That's what the signs say. We need a regime change.
03:29It's the same story in the political sphere.
03:32With politicians and officials posting for and against the strikes on social media.
03:36Amid the division, some Iran watchers are skeptical the death of Khamenei will play out quite the way the U
03:41.S. might hope.
03:42Either with a popular uprising or at least a less hostile government.
03:46As Iranian Swedish political analyst Trita Parsi sees it, Trump has walked away from a negotiated deal even better for
03:54the U.S. than what Iran offered Obama.
03:56And the next leaders won't be so amenable.
03:59He could easily have declared victory.
04:02He could have easily said that this victory came as a result of his military threats.
04:06Instead, he chose war because it seems like his hope is to actually get regime change, surrender and humiliation.
04:14So the next iteration of leadership that would come from the same security apparatus is, to the best of my
04:23assessment, not more inclined to accept that type of a humiliating surrender.
04:28But the strife over Iran isn't over yet.
04:32With a thank you for your attention to this matter, the U.S. president posted on social media that more
04:37bombings may follow throughout the week or as long as necessary.
04:40So this could be just the beginning in a tense chapter for Iran and the region, with the potential for
04:47even more serious escalation.
04:49Scott Huang and John Van Trieste for Taiwan Plus.
04:52and
04:53the
Comments