Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s killing plays into Shiite Islam’s reverence for martyrs, but not for all Iranians
Khamenei was a deeply polarizing figure in Iran — perceived by some as a martyr and others as an oppressor.
(Hassan Ammar | AP) A woman cries as she mourns the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during a gather in the southern Suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, March 1, 2026.
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