Life and leadership of Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader from 1989 until his death in 2026, shaped the country’s politics, military, and regional influence. He died in a joint US-Israeli air strike, leaving Iran facing internal unrest and uncertainty over its next leadership
Highlights:
- Ayatollah Ali Khamenei served as Iran's Supreme Leader from 1989 until his death in 2026
- His rule shaped Iran's domestic policies, military strategy, and regional influence
- Khamenei died in a joint US-Israeli air strike, leaving a leadership vacuum
Born in the holy city of Mashhad in 1939, Khamenei was the son of a prominent Muslim cleric. He began religious studies at age four and advanced through the Shia seminaries of Najaf and Qom, becoming a student and close ally of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
During the 1960s and 1970s, he actively opposed the Pahlavi monarchy, facing multiple arrests by the secret police (SAVAK) and periods of exile. He returned to Iran to play a key role in the 1979 Islamic Revolution, says Al Jazeera.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
Narges Bajoghli, a scholar at Johns Hopkins University, described his early political formation: "He is the leader whose formation was in the war with Iraq – that framed his outlook on domestic and foreign politics. Once he became the supreme leader, he focused on building the military and paramilitary apparatus for a siege, for constant resistance."
Presidency and early political roles
After the revolution, Khamenei held several senior posts, including Minister of Defence and supervisor of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). He survived an assassination attempt in 1981 that left him unable to use his right arm. Later that year, he was elected Iran's first clerical president. His tenure coincided with the Iran-Iraq War (1980–1988), which reinforced his distrust of the US and belief in maintaining a state of "forward defence."
Vali Nasr, an Iranian affairs expert, explained: "People think [of Iran] as a theocracy, because he [Khamenei] wears the turban and the language of the state is the language of religion, but in reality, he was a wartime president that came out of war with the assumption that Iran is vulnerable and in need of security."
Supreme leadership (1989–2026)
Khamenei was appointed Supreme Leader in 1989 following Khomeini's death. On his appointment, he said: "I believe I do not deserve this position; perhaps you and I know this. This would be symbolic leadership, not real leadership." Despite early doubts about his clerical credentials, he implemented strategies that defined Iran's domestic and regional posture for nearly four decades:
- The IRGC: Expanded the Revolutionary Guard into a dominant political, military, and economic force.
- The "Axis of Resistance": Developed a network of regional allies and proxies—including Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis—to extend Iran's influence.
- Resistance economy: Promoted self-reliance to mitigate the effects of international sanctions.
- Pragmatism and defiance: Allowed negotiations, including the 2015 nuclear deal (JCPOA), while consistently criticizing Western "imperialism" and returning to a firm stance when diplomacy faltered.
Domestic challenges
Khamenei's leadership faced recurring internal unrest. Major protest movements occurred in 2009, 2022, and during 2025–2026. Regarding the 2022 protests, he said: "It is about Islamic Iran's independence, resistance, strength and power. That is what this is about." During the late 2025 domestic unrest, he instructed: "Rioters must be put in their place."
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, reflecting on the West's role after 2009 unrest, said: "You [the West] should be held accountable for your actions. The Iranian nation would … slap those with ill intentions so hard that they would lose their way home."
Vali Nasr noted on his legacy: "Iranians paid too high a cost for this degree of insistence on national independence – in the process, he lost the Iranian population because they no longer believed in the wisdom of this independence."
Death and uncertain succession
Khamenei died on 28 February 2026, in a joint US-Israeli air strike on his compound during a "major combat operation" by the Trump administration targeting regime change. Tasnim News Agency reported: "It is announced to the Iranian people that His Eminence Grand Ayatollah Imam Sayyid Ali Khamenei, Leader of the Islamic Revolution, was martyred in the joint attack launched by America and the Zionist regime on the morning of Saturday, 28 February."
Several family members, including his daughter and grandson, were also killed. Responding to threats during the 2025 war, Khamenei had said: "Intelligent people who know Iran and its history would never speak to this nation in threatening language because the Iranian nation will not surrender, and the Americans should know that any US military intervention will undoubtedly cause irreparable damage."
Donald Trump described the strike, stating Khamenei and other Iranian officials "couldn't escape US intelligence and the advanced tracking systems." He addressed the Iranian people directly: "The hour of your freedom is at hand. When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will probably be your only chance for generations."
Danny Citrinowicz of the Institute for National Security Studies said of succession prospects: "It is possible that Khamenei has indicated a preferred successor behind closed doors. However automatic implementation of a preselected successor will increase internal friction during war."
