Khamenei Is Dead, but Iran Is Not Yet Free

His death closes one chapter of repression, but the Islamic Republic’s entrenched security, political, and economic power structure remains intact, and the fight for a truly free Iran is far from over

Ali Khamenei is dead, what an incredible day for Iranians.

But Iran is not yet free.

Khamenei not only presided over the murder, torture, and imprisonment of Iranians; he oversaw the systematic destruction of Iran, a nation filled with people who embody what I believe is the greatest culture in the world.

He targeted Iran’s minority communities with a ruthlessness that was breathtaking but not surprising, given how this regime was established.

Under his leadership, the regime subjected entire groups to systematic discrimination, imprisonment, execution, economic exclusion, and cultural erasure.

This included the incredible Baha’i people of Iran, against whom he pursued a campaign of destruction that mirrored what the Nazi regime did to Jews prior to the start of the Holocaust, stripping them of education, livelihoods, property, legal protections, and basic human dignity in a calculated effort to push them out of public life.

It included Baluchis, who faced disproportionate executions and severe economic marginalization; Kurds, who endured military crackdowns and political repression; Ahwazi Arabs; Sunni Muslims across multiple provinces; Gonabadi dervishes; Christians; and Iranian Jews, who lived under constant scrutiny, intimidation, and institutionalized discrimination.

In the month prior to his death, he authorized the industrial scale slaughter of his fellow Iranians who were fighting for freedom, just one of many moments when he nodded his head when the IRGC asked him if they could turn military grade weapons on Iranians, young and old.

His bloodthirsty, heartless actions not only inflicted immeasurable suffering on Iranians; they also tarnished the reputation of the great Iranian people, both at home and around the world, with the stain of death, corruption, and tyranny.

Iranians are the heirs of one of history’s great civilizations; yet for 47 years, first as president and then as Supreme Leader, Khamenei systematically worked to dismantle that legacy and suppress the potential of the Iranian people.

He destabilized the region, and the blood of Syrians, Yemenis, Israelis, Iraqis, Lebanese, and Palestinians is also on his hands.

Through the arming and financing of militias and terrorist organizations, the export of revolutionary ideology, and the deliberate cultivation of proxy wars, his criminal leadership entrenched cycles of violence far beyond the borders of Iran.

Entire societies were dragged into prolonged instability and destruction as a result of his leadership.

But do not buy into the idea that his death guarantees freedom for Iranians.

As I have repeatedly reminded my followers, and I am far from alone in saying this, the Islamic Republic is vast, deeply entrenched, and structurally embedded in nearly every major lever of power. It controls a significant share of the economy, the security apparatus, and the political system itself.

Iran is also surrounded by governments and regimes that do not view the emergence of a genuinely free and democratic Iran as aligned with their strategic interests.

Jumping to the conclusion that “it’s over” only harms Iranians.

It creates complacency at the very moment when sustained pressure, scrutiny, and support matter most.

My own family was repeatedly impacted by Khamenei’s criminal regime; how I wish so many of them, including my Uncle Samad, were here to witness this moment.

LONG LIVE IRAN.

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