Following reports that strikes by the U.S. and Israel killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, Iranian‑American journalist Masih Alinejad described a complex mix of joy and fear among people inside Iran. Speaking to CBS Evening News, Alinejad — who says she has survived multiple plots by Iran’s regime to kill or kidnap her — recounted scenes of cheering in the streets, mothers celebrating the deaths of regime figures, and a raw blend of “pain and hope.”
Alinejad said she has been “singing, shouting, screaming, celebrating,” but that the elation often gives way to grief: she lost her voice after speaking with mothers who lost children to the regime’s repression. That emotional duality, she emphasized, reflects why many Iranians welcome what they see as a weakening of the regime while also fearing the uncertainty that follows.
Arguing that the Islamic Republic cannot be reformed, Alinejad said protesters are already naming alternatives, including Prince Reza Pahlavi, who has called for free and fair elections. Her broader prescription is a transition to a secular democracy where Iranians can choose their government at the ballot box. To make that transition feasible, she urged coordinated international engagement: she called on European and Arab leaders, as well as the U.S., to work with the opposition to craft a strategic political plan. Comparing the moment to the fall of the Berlin Wall, she said a strong international signal could persuade members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to stand down.
Alinejad stressed that removing the Islamic Republic would address what she sees as the root cause of regional instability and the export of violence, potentially reducing endless conflict across the Middle East. Her remarks were grounded in personal history: she said she was jailed at 19 while pregnant and that the government has “stolen” her life, family and country — a background that shapes her impatience with treating the crisis as merely a distant foreign policy matter.
She also criticized some antiwar demonstrations in the U.S. that, she said, included chants sympathetic to groups responsible for killing Iranians. Alinejad warned that those protesters misread the desires of many Iranians, who seek dignity and democracy rather than the domination of violent proxies. She urged Americans who care about Palestinian freedom to acknowledge the Islamic Republic’s role in regional repression and to support an Iran where people can determine their own future.
Throughout the interview Alinejad balanced elation at the perceived weakening of the regime with caution about the dangers ahead. She called for coordinated international engagement with Iranian opposition forces and stressed that durable change will require both credible domestic political alternatives and united diplomatic signals from European, American and regional leaders.