Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was the most powerful figure in Iran for over three decades, shaping the Islamic Republic’s political, military and ideological direction since 1989. As Supreme Leader, he held ultimate authority over the armed forces, judiciary, state broadcasting, and key policy decisions, placing him above the elected president and parliament in Iran’s power structure.
Born in 1939 in Mashhad, Khamenei emerged as a prominent cleric during the 1979 Islamic Revolution that overthrew the Shah. A close associate of revolutionary leader Ruhollah Khomeini, he played an active role in consolidating the new Islamic Republic. He survived an assassination attempt in 1981 that left his right arm paralyzed, the same year he became Iran’s president.
In 1989, following Khomeini’s death, Khamenei was appointed Supreme Leader — a position that granted him sweeping constitutional powers. Over the next 36 years, he tightened control over state institutions and expanded the influence of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), strengthening Iran’s military posture and regional footprint.
Under his leadership, Iran adopted a firm stance against the United States and Israel, developed its nuclear program, and extended influence across West Asia through alliances and support for regional groups. His tenure was also marked by waves of domestic unrest, with authorities responding firmly to protests and dissent.
Khamenei’s leadership defined an era in Iranian politics — one characterised by ideological rigidity, regional ambition and sustained confrontation with Western powers. His passing signals the end of a chapter that profoundly shaped the trajectory of the Islamic Republic and its role on the global stage.