KARACHI, Pakistan / March 1, 2026 — At least nine people have been killed and dozens more injured in violent clashes near the United States consulate in Karachi, Pakistan, after pro-Iran protesters attempted to storm the diplomatic compound amid nation-wide unrest following the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a US-Israeli military strike.
Hundreds of demonstrators — many chanting anti-American and anti-Israeli slogans in solidarity with Tehran — gathered on Mai Kolachi Road outside the consulate on Sunday. Local hospital officials reported that nine protesters died from gunshot wounds sustained during clashes with security forces, while at least 30-plus were wounded and receiving treatment for injuries ranging from firearm wounds to blunt trauma.
AFP correspondents at the scene saw security personnel and paramilitary units using tear gas, baton charges and gunfire to disperse crowds that had surged toward the consulate gates and broken through initial perimeters. Video footage circulating online showed protesters attempting to scale walls and smash windows of the diplomatic mission before law enforcement intervened.
Emergency responders with the Edhi Welfare Organisation confirmed that the victims and injured were taken to Civil Hospital Karachi’s Trauma Centre, where some protesters were still in critical condition. Authorities are in the process of identifying the deceased.
The demonstrations were triggered by outrage across Pakistan — a country with a large Shi’ite Muslim population — following Tehran’s confirmation that Khamenei was killed in recent joint US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran. Pakistan has witnessed protests not only in Karachi but also in cities such as Lahore, Islamabad and Peshawar, where police used force to control crowds and prevent further breaches of diplomatic facilities.
In Lahore, hundreds of activists from local religious and political groups gathered outside the US consulate, attempting to press forward before being pushed back by law enforcement. Meanwhile, authorities in Islamabad deployed reinforcements around the US Embassy and other diplomatic missions to prevent similar clashes across the capital and other urban centres.
The unrest also included property damage near the Karachi consulate, with vehicles set ablaze and a nearby police post reported to have been torched, according to eyewitness accounts.
The US Embassy in Islamabad issued advisories urging American citizens to “monitor local news, avoid large crowds and register with local safety programmes,” as demonstrations continue and tensions remain high.
Pakistani political leaders acknowledged the public’s grievance over events in Iran but appealed for peaceful protest and restraint. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi described the situation as “a sorrowful day for the Muslim Ummah” and stressed that while the nation shares grief with Iran, violence and lawlessness must be avoided.
The deadly protests in Karachi highlight broader regional and domestic repercussions of the Iran conflict, with anti-Western and anti-Israeli sentiment spreading across social and political fault lines as crises escalate following Khamenei’s death
