KHAMENEI BECAME AYATOLLAH IN 1989
Khamenei, 86, turned Iran’s highest authority in 1989, following the loss of life of the Islamic Republic’s founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. As supreme chief, he held final management over Iran’s political, navy and non secular establishments, shaping home coverage and guiding overseas relations.
Israel lengthy noticed him as a destabilising power within the Center East, citing his backing for Iran’s community of militant allies, together with Palestinian Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
When Israel and Iran fought a 12-day air battle in June 2025, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz threatened to assassinate him, saying the supreme chief “can’t live on.”
That battle noticed Israel launch a shock strike that struck Iran’s underground nuclear website, killing senior commanders and nuclear scientists, and wiping out a lot of the navy management. Khamenei’s killing offers one other blow to a rustic already reeling from battle and financial hardship.
Khamenei upheld the conservative imaginative and prescient of his predecessor, Khomeini, quashing the ambitions of elected presidents who sought extra open insurance policies at dwelling and overseas. Underneath his rule, authorities crushed repeated protests and sidelined reformists pushing for much less confrontation with the West.
Iran turned a robust regional anti-US power below Khamenei, extending its affect throughout the Center East. He backed the 2015 nuclear deal brokered with world powers and pragmatist President Hassan Rouhani, which briefly eased Iran’s isolation. However tensions spiked after Trump deserted the accord in 2018 and reimposed sanctions.
Because the Hamas-led assault on Israel on October 7, 2023, Iran has seen its allies weakened. Hamas and Hezbollah suffered heavy blows from Israel, whereas Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, lengthy propped up by Tehran, was toppled in December 2024.
The publish of Supreme Chief was created after the 1979 revolution and enshrined in Iran’s structure, giving a high cleric final authority over the president and parliament. The Meeting of Specialists, an 88-member clerical physique vetted by a hardline watchdog aligned with Khamenei, formally selects the chief.
