As Iranians are celebrating in the streets the fall of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s regime, our news media mourns its fall in their headlines.

Take The New York Times, who called the brutal dictator a “hardline cleric” who “expanded Iran’s footprint abroad”.

The article itself addresses the truths in its own New York Times way.

But Iran’s nuclear program, coupled with the ayatollah’s fiery rhetoric toward the West, led to rafts of crippling international economic sanctions and made Iran an international pariah. It also drew a covert, Israeli-led campaign of sabotage and targeted killings aimed at preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons. This campaign culminated in Israeli strikes across Iran in June 2025 that killed key military leaders and scientists and damaged nuclear sites, and the joint U.S.-Israel assault eight months later.

Ayatollah Khamenei vehemently insisted on what he said was Iran’s sovereign right to pursue its own interests in nuclear fuel enrichment, missile development and regional diplomacy.”-Alan Cowell and Farnaz Fassihi, The New York Times

The Grey Lady then quotes the Ayatollah:

Should the Iranian nation beg for the right of exploitation of nuclear energy from the bullying world powers until they accept that the nation has a nuclear right?. No. This is not the way of a free and independent nation.”-Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 2007

Yep. The “Great Satan” and The “Evil Orange Man”, CinC of “global arrogance” helped facilitate the end to that “free and independent nation”.

The New York Times gave the death of the Ayatollah a softer headline than the death of Dilbert creator, Scott Adams:

Also the New York Times— ‼️ pic.twitter.com/XKPiKjI0BD

— Missy in So Cal 🇺🇸🎹🤙🏻 MAGA/MAHA (@MissyIsMaga) March 1, 2026

The Washington Post may as well have been talking about freaking Santa Claus:

With his bushy white beard and easy smile, Ayatollah Khamenei cut a more avuncular figure than he perpetually scowling but much more revered mentor, and he was known to be fond of Persian poetry and Western novels, especially Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables.”-WaPo

He also liked long walks on the beach, and cute puppies…

My co-worker, who came from Iran when he was just a child, was one of those celebrating yesterday. A “free and independent nation” doesn’t force children to read religious texts in schools and beat them with sticks if they refuse. A “free and independent nation” does not shoot injured protestors in the head whilst recovering in hospital beds. A “free and independent nation” does not rape and jail women for not wearing an article of clothing.

“Virgin female prisoners should be raped before execution so that they do not go to heaven.”
-Ayatollah Khomeini
(founding leader of the Islamic regime in Iran).

Just a reminder that this is the evil that Iranians are fighting. pic.twitter.com/VD9EMQDkFF

— Dr. Maalouf ‏ (@realMaalouf) January 11, 2026

This opinion piece was found, buried in the NYT Opinion section:

Under his reign, Iran’s population has been isolated from the global financial system for decades. Its currency was among the world’s most devalued, its passport among the most denied, its internet among the most censored. Brain drain became one of Iran’s top exports as some 150,000 Iranians left the country annually.”-Karim Sadjadpour

Why is that, oh liberal “journalists”?

Beyond Iran’s borders, Ayatollah Khamenei filled the power vacuums left by the Iraq war and the Arab uprisings, wielding the sword of the military commander Qassim Suleimani — whom Mr. Trump assassinated in January 2020 — to project hard power and the shield of his English-speaking foreign ministers to deflect pressure. While Iranians suffered under backbreaking sanctions and inflation at home, Ayatollah Khamenei spent tens of billions of dollars funding an ‘axis of resistance’ throughout the Middle East. For much of his reign, Iran was embroiled in a three-front war against America, Israel and its own population.”-Karim Sadjadpour

Either Dana’s Dysport is wearing off or she did not expect that amount of enthusiasm. I mean, you can see and feel the befuddlement and utter disdain on Dana’s face here:

That did not go as planned. Let’s shut this down before anyone says “I love America” again and cut to that Ozempic commercial.

Killing Ayatollah and taking out the regime is not what Americans want, though. Take it from Zohran Mamdani:

A befitting reply by a New York er of Iranian origin pic.twitter.com/axJYri94a3

— Rishi Bagree (@rishibagree) March 1, 2026

Take two, Kamala Harris:

pic.twitter.com/GkeKezn3WZ

— Dixie loves America ❤️🇺🇸💙 (@dixiefortrump) March 1, 2026

What we didn’t want was you as president, Madame VP. And Thank God for the American people, and the Iranian people, we didn’t get it.

Rest in peace to the Ayatollah, you jolly old soul with your bushy white beard. I wouldn’t wish sheep, or goats, or pigs as your 72 virgins. Animals are innocent. I hope all of your virgins are the insufferable, blue-haired Karens we’ve had to listen to over the past 10 years and you are in an eternity of their platitudes and shouting.

Iranian ladies, we stand with you and hate the media, too. Go ahead and strike that match. Let him burn.

Featured image: original Victory Girls art by Darleen Click