TEHRAN: Video clips showing the ancestral home in Iran of the late founder of the Islamic republic Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini on fire have been widely shared on social media, with activists saying it was torched by protesters.

Reuters verified the location of two video clips using the distinctive arches and buildings that match file images.

The semi-official Tasnim news agency, however, denied Khomeini’s house was set on fire, saying a small number of people had gathered outside the house.

The social media videos show dozens of people cheering as a flash of fire is sparked in a building.

Reuters could not independently verify the dates when the videos were filmed. Activist network 1500Tasvir said the incident occurred on Thursday evening in Khomeini’s birth town of Khomein, south of the capital Tehran.

The house had been converted into a museum.

“The report is a lie,” said the Tasnim news agency, adding: “the doors of the house of the late founder of the great revolution are open to the public.”