Ayatollah Khamenei: Why Iran’s supreme leader is the focus of the US-Israel attacks
Several locations in Tehran were targeted today (28 February), including sites reportedly connected to Iran’s supreme leader.
The United States and Israel have launched a fresh wave of attacks on Iran, once again disrupting negotiations over Tehran's nuclear programme and intensifying concerns about attempts to strike at the country's security structure and leadership.
Several locations in Tehran were targeted today (28 February), including sites reportedly connected to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, reports Al Jazeera.
The developments have renewed speculation about whether Washington and Tel Aviv are seeking to "decapitate" the Islamic Republic's leadership.
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Where is Khamenei?
His whereabouts remain uncertain. Reuters, citing a source, reported that Khamenei was not in Tehran and had been moved to a secure location.
Who is Khamenei?
Eighty-six-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has served as Iran's supreme leader since 1989.
He succeeded Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, who returned from exile to lead the 1979 revolution that toppled US-backed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
As supreme leader, Khamenei wields ultimate authority over Iran's executive, legislative and judicial branches, as well as its armed forces. He also serves as the country's highest religious authority.
During his tenure, he has navigated prolonged tensions with Western nations, faced sweeping international sanctions and weathered multiple domestic protests over economic conditions and civil rights.
He has frequently described the United States as Iran's "number one enemy," with Israel close behind.
Central to his grip on power is the allegiance of two key security bodies: the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Basij paramilitary force, which counts hundreds of thousands of volunteers.
Khamenei has consistently maintained that Iran does not seek nuclear weapons and that its nuclear programme is intended solely for civilian purposes.
Neither US intelligence agencies nor the UN nuclear watchdog have found evidence that Iran was pursuing an atomic weapon. However, Israel and some figures in the Trump administration have continued to assert otherwise.
What have the US and Israel said about Khamenei?
Officials from both countries have previously made threatening remarks regarding the Iranian leader.
In June, following a 12-day exchange of US-Israeli strikes on Iran and retaliatory actions by Tehran against Israel, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz stated that Khamenei "cannot continue to exist."
"A dictator like Khamenei who stands at the head of a state like Iran and has the horrible goal of destroying Israel, cannot continue to exist," he said.
That same month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated that Israel had not ruled out the possibility of attempting to assassinate Khamenei, suggesting such an action would "end" the prolonged conflict between the US and Iran.
In the United States, President Donald Trump has also made comments that appeared to threaten the Iranian leader.
In an interview with ABC News earlier this month, Trump said Khamenei should be "very worried," as the US positioned military assets in the region.
In separate remarks, he described regime change in Iran as "the best thing that could happen" and said "there are people" who could take over leadership, without providing further details.
Previously, when ordering strikes on Iran last year, Trump said Khamenei would be an "easy target" if the US chose to act against him.
"We know exactly where the so-called 'Supreme Leader' is hiding," Trump said. "He is an easy target, but is safe there – We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now."
