For many Iranians, Sunday began with confirmation of the news they had long feared.

State media announced that Ali Khamenei had been killed following a wave of U.S.-Israeli strikes carried out a day earlier.

By midmorning, thousands had gathered in Enghelab Square in central Tehran to mourn. Under the pale glow of the rising sun, men embraced and wept openly, some leaning against closed storefronts as they struggled to contain their grief.

Crowds moved steadily toward the square, where veiled women held aloft portraits of the longtime leader and chanted in unison. Others sat quietly along the roadside, observing the scene from a distance in subdued reflection.

Opponents of the Islamic Republic — many of whom had filled the streets during mass protests in January that were met with a harsh government crackdown — were largely absent from public spaces on Sunday, leaving the capital’s streets dominated by mourners and supporters of the late leader.