People gather next to coffins during a funeral for victims who died during protests that breached the outer wall of the U.S. Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan, on March 1, 2026, protesting the news of the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in an airstrike by Iran. [Reuters/Shakil Adil]

Protesters supporting Iran stormed Pakistan's U.S. Consulate and U.N. offices, resulting in at least 22 deaths and over 120 injuries.

The violent clashes between rioting protesters and security forces occurred after the United States and Israel conducted an airstrike on Iran on Saturday, which killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to the Associated Press.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari expressed his "deep sorrow" over Khamenei's martyrdom and conveyed condolences to Iran, the president's office said.

"Pakistan stands with the people of Iran in this hour of grief and shares their sense of loss," Zardari said.

Sumaiyah Saeed Tariq, police surgeon at the city's main national hospital, confirmed that six bodies and a number of injured people were brought to the hospital, stating the death toll rose to 10 as four critically injured individuals later died.

In the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, thousands of rioters clashed with police while attacking the UN Military Observer Group and the United Nations Development Programme offices, killing 12 and injuring over 80, local police official Asghar Ali said.

Government spokesman Shabbir Mir said all staff members of the organizations were safe, and that protesters had repeatedly clashed with police across the region, vandalized local charity offices, and set fire to police stations. He also added that authorities had deployed the army to control the situation.

In Karachi, senior police official Irfan Baloch said protesters briefly attacked the U.S. Consulate but that the rioting was later quelled.

Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi appealed for calm amidst the clashes.

"In light of the martyrdom of Ayatollah Khamenei, all Pakistanis share the grief of the Iranian people," Naqvi said in a statement, urging people to refrain from taking the law into their own hands and to protest peacefully. The government of Sindh province also warned against acts of violence, urging citizens to express their opinions peacefully.

In Islamabad, Pakistan, police fired tear gas and used batons as hundreds of protesters attempted to march towards the U.S. Embassy. The clashes occurred on the outskirts of the diplomatic enclave where the embassy is located, and additional police forces were deployed.

In Peshawar, a northwestern Pakistani city, police said they used tear gas and batons to disperse thousands of protesters who attempted to approach the U.S. Consulate to condemn Khamenei's assassination.

In Lahore, protesters clashed with police multiple times near the U.S. Consulate, according to officials. Police said they had reinforced security around the U.S. Consulate in Lahore and consulates across Pakistan to prevent further violence.

US NNP=Hong Seong-gu, Chief Reporter / Special Correspondent for this publication NNP info@newsandpost.com