Protests over the reported death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which followed U.S. and Israeli strikes, led to confrontations at U.S. diplomatic sites in South Asia and the Middle East on Sunday.
In Karachi, Pakistan's largest city, demonstrators breached the outer perimeter of the U.S. consulate before being pushed back by police, who used tear gas to disperse the crowd. Video from outside the consulate's main gate showed vehicles burning; gunfire could be heard at the scene, according to an on-the-scene reporter. Local authorities said there were no casualties in the clashes. U.S. diplomats at the consulate were not immediately available for comment.
Protest activity was not limited to Karachi. In Pakistan's normally peaceful Shia-majority region of Gilgit Baltistan, demonstrators set fire to a United Nations office in Skardu. Local government spokesperson Shabbir Mir said a large number of protesters had gathered outside the U.N. office in Gilgit Baltistan and that the building was burned down. He added that no casualties had been reported. The region is noted in reports for its Himalayan peaks that draw tourists.
In Lahore, Pakistan's central city, several hundred people gathered outside the U.S. consulate. There were no reports of violence from that demonstration. An eyewitness, Aqeel Raza, described attempts by some protesters to damage a security gate located several hundred yards from the consulate; he said police intervened to stop those attempts without using force.
Across the border in Iraq, pro-Iranian demonstrators assembled outside the Green Zone in Baghdad, where the U.S. Embassy is located. The gatherings in both Pakistan and Iraq followed news of the strikes that reportedly killed Khamenei, prompting large public demonstrations in multiple cities.
Authorities in the affected locations reported no casualties in the incidents described and provided limited immediate comment on diplomatic staffing or operational impacts at the missions involved. The demonstrations included acts of arson and confrontations with security forces, and they unfolded in multiple urban centers during the same day.
Reporting note: Information in this article is drawn from on-the-scene accounts, local government statements and eyewitness reports from the locations described.