KARACHI, PAKISTAN March 1, 2026 – At least nine people were killed and more than two dozen injured when Pakistani security forces opened fire on hundreds of pro-Iranian demonstrators attempting to storm the United States consulate in Karachi early Sunday morning.
The violence erupted hours after Iranian state media confirmed the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, in joint US-Israeli airstrikes on Tehran the previous day. Protesters, largely from Pakistan’s Shia community, gathered outside the consulate in a show of solidarity with Iran and outrage over what they described as “US-Israeli aggression.”
According to eyewitnesses and officials, the crowd breached the outer perimeter of the consulate compound, setting vehicles ablaze and clashing with police and paramilitary Rangers. Security forces responded with tear gas and live ammunition to disperse the demonstrators.
Doha News, citing local sources, reported that at least nine people died near the consulate as security forces tried to prevent protesters from storming the facility. Hospital officials confirmed the deaths were mostly from gunshot wounds.
Similar protests have broken out across Pakistan and in Baghdad, Iraq, following Khamenei’s killing, which has triggered 40 days of national mourning in Iran and vows of retaliation from Tehran.
Pakistani authorities have condemned the violence and called for calm, while urging citizens to express grievances peacefully. The US Embassy in Islamabad has not yet issued a statement on the attack on its consulate.
The incident underscores the rapid spillover of Middle East tensions into Pakistan, home to one of the world’s largest Shia populations.
Life News Agency will continue to monitor developments as the situation unfolds.
Sources: Doha News (original report), Al Jazeera, Reuters, AP, Bloomberg.
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