Images of Iran's late supreme leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini are projected on to the Azadi Tower in Tehran. A fire was reported at his former home in Khomein. AFP
Images of Iran's late supreme leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini are projected on to the Azadi Tower in Tehran. A fire was reported at his former home in Khomein. AFP
Images of Iran's late supreme leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini are projected on to the Azadi Tower in Tehran. A fire was reported at his former home in Khomein. AFP
Images of Iran's late supreme leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini are projected on to the Azadi Tower in Tehran. A fire was reported at his former home in Khomein. AFP

Iran: crowds cheer as Ayatollah Khomeini's ancestral home burns


Holly Johnston
  • English
  • Arabic

Crowds cheered while a fire burned in the ancestral home of the former Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini on Thursday night as anger at the government showed no sign of waning after two months of protests.

Videos posted on social media and verified by several news agencies showed people shouting "Mullahs, get lost!" as they marched near the burning building in the city of Khomein.

The semi-official Tasnim news agency denied claims the building was set alight, saying crowds had only gathered in front of the late leader's home.

Exiled Iranian activist Masih Alinejad shared footage of protesters in the town and praised demonstrators who took to the streets.

Traditionally conservative towns and cities in Iran have not stayed silent as demonstrations continue across the country, sparked by the custody of Mahsa Amini, a young woman who died in the custody of the morality police, and fuelled by the killing of hundreds of people in subsequent protests.

In the holy city of Qom, protesters set fire to the Shia seminary in what some have called the ultimate act of defiance against the "powerhouse" of the Iran.

Rights groups say at least 342 people have been killed, including 26 children, since the wave of protests began in mid-September.

The nationwide demonstrations, in which women have played a leading role, pose the biggest challenge yet to the theocratic regime established by Khomeini after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Protesters have often targeted symbols of the ruling elite, including police stations, governor's offices and statues of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Khomeini's successor, despite the violent crackdown. Several protesters have already been sentenced to death.

'Stone-hearted' leader

Kian Pirfalak, a young boy said to have been nine or 10, has become the latest face of the movement after being shot dead in the south-western town of Izeh on Wednesday.

His mother and uncle denied officials' claims that he was killed in a terrorist attack, saying security forces opened fire on the car in which the boy was travelling with his family. His father was also injured.

A 14-year-old was also reported dead in Izeh on the same night.

Kian's death has prompted renewed outrage. Social media users shared videos of the young boy showcasing his home-made inventions, while lamenting that his dreams of becoming an inventor were cut short.

Large crowds gathered at his funeral on Friday, where mourners chanted against the regime, equating Iran's security forces to ISIS and calling for "death to Khamenei".

In videos shared online, his mother recited a poem describing Iran's supreme leader as "stone-hearted".

Protests have also been reported in several other cities across the country.

In the northern city of Gilan, doctors were reportedly beaten for tending to injured protesters.

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MATCH INFO

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(Sterling 16')

Man of the match: Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)

Analysis

Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more

In numbers: China in Dubai

The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000

Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000

Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

Five films to watch

Castle in the Sky (1986)

Grave of the Fireflies (1988)

Only Yesterday (1991)

Pom Poki (1994)

The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2013)

Who's who in Yemen conflict

Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government

Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council

Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south

Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory

Timeline

2012-2015

The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East

May 2017

The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts

September 2021

Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act

October 2021

Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence 

December 2024

Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group

May 2025

The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan

July 2025

The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan

August 2025

Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision

October 2025

Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange

November 2025

180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

The biog

Marital status: Separated with two young daughters

Education: Master's degree from American Univeristy of Cairo

Favourite book: That Is How They Defeat Despair by Salwa Aladian

Favourite Motto: Their happiness is your happiness

Goal: For Nefsy to become his legacy long after he is gon

Updated: June 17, 2023, 8:14 AM