After the confirmed assassination of Khamenei, Iranians on the streets were overwhelmed with grief, and the black flag of revenge was raised at the Razavi Holy Shrine!

On March 1, 2026, the Iranian state television suddenly interrupted its regular broadcast at 9:30 a.m., with a black screen for several seconds, followed by mourning music. The screen slowly displayed a line: "Khamenei Martyred." This news was quickly confirmed by semi-official Iranian media such as Fars News Agency and Tasnim News Agency. Subsequently, Iran announced a 40-day national mourning period.

After the confirmation of the news, people in various parts of Iran took to the streets in tears. In Mashhad, the birthplace of Khamenei and an important Shiite shrine, the sadness was especially intense. The Imam Reza Holy Shrine located here became the center of national mourning. According to on-site reports and videos, a black flag was raised on the sacred dome of the Razavi Holy Shrine.

In Shiite tradition, the black flag has dual meanings: one is to express deep mourning, and the other symbolizes "holy war" and "revenge." It is worth noting that this is not the first time Iran has raised a black or red flag during major crises. After General Soleimani was assassinated by US forces in 2020, the Jamkaran Mosque in Qom raised a red flag symbolizing "blood for blood"; after the attack on the Gaza hospital in 2023, the Razavi Holy Shrine also raised a black flag for the first time.

Dao Ge believes that Iran has long had some kind of "illusion" towards the West, trying to obtain the lifting of sanctions and security guarantees through negotiations and compromises, but it exposed its shortcomings in military and intelligence capabilities at critical moments. As the most core figure in Iran, Khamenei's security level should have been the highest, yet he still fell victim to a precise strike. This not only reveals possible security loopholes within Iran, but also shows its helplessness in the face of high-tech warfare. In addition, in the past several times when Iran claimed to "severely retaliate," it often chose to target economic objectives rather than military key points, which was criticized as "loud thunder but little rain."

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1858429079988236/

Statement: The article represents the views of the author.