Protests broke out this morning (Sunday) among Shiite populations in Pakistan, Iraq, and northern India, triggered by an incident involving Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. In Jordan, American citizens and embassy employees were advised to avoid the area amidst growing tensions. In Karachi, Pakistan, police opened fire on demonstrators who breached the outer wall of the US consulate and set a vehicle ablaze nearby, resulting in at least nine reported fatalities according to police reports. Eyewitness accounts described sounds of gunfire and the use of tear gas in the surrounding streets, while local authorities stated that protesters were eventually repelled.

Pakistan is home to the second-largest Shiite population globally, following Iran. Protests also occurred outside the US consulate in Lahore, and in the capital Islamabad, access to areas housing diplomatic missions and parliament was blocked. In the remote Gilgit-Baltistan region, where Shiites make up a majority, a United Nations office building was set on fire, although no injuries were reported. Meanwhile, in Iraq, which hosts the third-largest Shiite population in the world, protests erupted as well, specifically in the Green Zone in Baghdad, where the US embassy is situated, with hundreds of pro-Iranian demonstrators gathering and marching towards the heavily fortified structure. Eyewitnesses reported that security forces responded with live fire, indicating the seriousness of the unrest and the ongoing tensions in the region.