Great-grandson of Islamic Republic's founder was in streets as Israel fired on Tehran

Seyyed Ahmad Khomeini, a junior cleric, said that from his viewpoint Israel had waged a war on Iran, threatening the integrity of the country and the safety of its people.

The 28-year-old great-grandson of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of Iran's Islamic Republic, was standing on a balcony in Tehran in the middle of the night Tuesday as sounds of explosions from Israeli strikes and thuds of air defenses rocked the city.

Seyyed Ahmad Khomeini, a junior cleric, said in a telephone interview with The New York Times, that from his viewpoint Israel had waged a war on Iran, threatening the integrity of the country and the safety of its people. But for him, he said, the conflict was also deeply personal. The legacy of his family name, the revolution his great-grandfather had led, toppling thousands of years of monarchy in Iran in 1979, was at stake.

"I want to say is that we will remain in Tehran, we will not leave this land. Even if we have to sacrifice every ounce of our blood, like a soldier, we will fight," Khomeini said. "The enemy has made a massive mistake if it thinks it can dislodge this revolution."

An even bigger mistake, Khomeini said, would be for President Donald Trump to enter the war and attack the Fordo nuclear site. On Tuesday, Trump posted a series of messages on social media, one of which called for Iran's "unconditional surrender." He also met with his National Security Council as evidence mounted that the United States was considering joining Israel's bombing campaign to damage Iran's nuclear capabilities. A day earlier, Trump had warned residents of Tehran, a city of more than 10 million people, to evacuate in a social media post. Many residents of Tehran have tried to heed his call.

"Iran will respond in a different way if this happens," Khomeini said, in reference to the United States becoming more involved in the conflict. The war would spread, and the region would descend further into chaos, he said.

Khomeini lives in the city of Qom, about 100 miles south of Tehran, where he attends Shia theological seminary. He is the grandson of Khomeini's son, Ahmad, and in the past few years has identified with the reformist faction of the government. He campaigned for the reformist candidate, Masoud Pezeshkian, who won the presidential election nearly a year ago.

Khomeini said that he typically spends weekends in Tehran and was there Friday -- the Iranian weekend -- when Israel first attacked. He said he had remained in the capital, consulting with a tight loyal circle of younger government officials. He did not want to retreat to a bunker, he said.

On Tuesday night, a crowd of government supporters gathered at Palestine Square in central Tehran, waving flags and pledging fierce revenge against Israel. A digital countdown clock at the square shows what it claims is the time left until Israel's demise. Khomeini said he heard about the gathering and spontaneously decided to participate despite a new round of Israeli strikes in the Tehran area.

Israel has assassinated at least 10 of Iran's highest-ranking military commanders since Friday. On Tuesday, Israel said it had killed the new top military commander, Maj. Gen. Ali Shadmani, in a strike, days after he was appointed. Iran did not comment on Israel's claim.

But that has not deterred the young Khomeini. Part of his great-grandfather's legacy, he said, was to show the public and the enemies that he was not afraid. "I'm one person, and I want to stand by the people," he added.

He said he understood that some Iranians "are angry at the establishment, are upset and have negative views of the government, have different beliefs" from the republic his great-grandfather founded, but he called on his people to always choose Iran. Khomeini said he named his 2-year-old daughter Iran.

Iranians have staged nationwide demonstrations, most recently in 2022 that were led by women and young girls following the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old who died in the custody of the country's morality police on allegations of violating hijab rules, which mandate that women and girls cover their hair and bodies. The government has brutally crushed the protests, blocked reforms and jailed and killed hundreds of protesters. The demonstrators have chanted "Death to the dictator" and participated in daily acts of collective civil disobedience, like women not wearing hijabs in public.

Iranian officials have long been concerned that a war with Israel or the United States would destabilize the country, deepen economic woes and spark a new domestic uprising. The supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who succeeded Khomeini's great-grandfather, conceded to nuclear negotiations with the United States in March to avoid the risk of fighting a war on two fronts, against external enemies and domestic dissent.

Asked what he thinks Ayatollah Khomeini would say to him about the current war, the young Khomeini replied, "remain together, stay united; if you do, no enemy can win over you."