As bombs fell 7,500 miles away in Tehran, members of the Iranian American community in West Los Angeles spent Saturday celebrating a day some had been looking forward to for nearly half a century.
The Greater Los Angeles area is home to the largest concentration of people of Iranian descent outside of Iran. Since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, it has served as a capital for exiles. In 2019, more than half of Iranian immigrants in the United States lived in California, and 29% (nearly 140,000 people) lived in Los Angeles County alone, according to the Migration Policy Institute. Many settled in and around Westwood, earning the area the nickname “Tehrangeles.”
When word spread on social media of a large demonstration in support of the strikes, people gathered to celebrate the news.
Sajad Ragibi rides on the shoulders of a friend as hundreds of people demonstrate in the Westwood neighborhood on Saturday. The rally was organized after news spread that US and Israeli strikes had killed Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Kevin Beit walks under the colors of Iran as he joins hundreds of people at a rally in Westwood.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
A protester holds a sign with a photo of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, at a rally Saturday in Westwood.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Hundreds of people march through the streets of Westwood on Saturday following the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Sophie Kiani celebrates with hundreds of others at Saturday's rally in Westwood.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Hundreds of people demonstrate in Westwood following the death of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
