TEHRAN – Search and rescue operations at the heavily damaged compound of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have been severely impeded by an unexpected surge in public self-congratulation, officials confirmed early Tuesday. Following an alleged Israeli-U.S. strike, the site, once a symbol of impenetrable authority, now resembles a very expensive, very dusty crater.

Emergency services attempting to sift through the rubble are reportedly facing a 'humanitarian crisis of smugness,' as throngs of citizens, both local and international, have converged on the area. Many are brandishing homemade signs reading 'We Knew It!' and 'Just As I Predicted!' while offering unsolicited geopolitical analyses to bewildered first responders.

“We’re trying to locate potential survivors, but every time we lift a beam, someone shouts, ‘See? That’s what happens when you don’t listen to my blog!’” lamented Dr. Arash Zadegan, Head of Existential Rubble Management for the Tehran Municipal Debris & Foreboding Institute. “Our thermal imaging is picking up more self-satisfied chest-puffing than actual heat signatures.”

Analysts are struggling to explain the phenomenon. “It appears the collective human need to be proven right has reached a critical mass,” stated Professor Elara Vance, Chair of Retrospective Sagacity at the University of Perpetual Foresight. “The psychological fallout from this event may be more widespread than the physical damage.” Meanwhile, street vendors are reportedly selling out of 'Khamenei's Last Stand' commemorative mugs, featuring a crudely drawn mushroom cloud.