Ayatollah Ali Khamenei served as Iran’s spiritual guide and top political authority for nearly four decades, succeeding Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini as supreme leader in 1989. His tenure was marked by both domestic control and international controversy. Here is a look at key dates in his life and leadership:
- July 17, 1939: Born in the shrine city of Mashhad, to parents from Iran’s Azeri minority.
- 1957: Meets Ayatollah Khomeini, who would become a formative influence on his religious and political outlook.
- 1977: Following multiple imprisonments for his opposition to the Shah, Khamenei is exiled to Iranshahr, a remote desert city near the Pakistan border. He returns to Mashhad in 1979 for the Islamic Revolution.
- 1979: Rapid rise to power begins. Named deputy defence minister and soon after head of the Revolutionary Guards, under Khomeini’s guidance.
- 1981: Becomes the first cleric elected President of the Islamic Republic. He is re-elected in 1985.
- June 27, 1981: Survives a bomb attack by the outlawed People’s Mujahedeen group at a Tehran mosque, leaving his right hand permanently injured. He adapts by learning to write with his left hand.
- June 4, 1989: Following Khomeini’s death, Khamenei is elected Supreme Leader, just a year after the end of the Iran-Iraq War (1980–1988).
- January 2005: Confirms the death sentence fatwa issued by Khomeini against writer Salman Rushdie.
- September 8, 2014: Undergoes prostate surgery, ending decades of speculation regarding his health.
- July 14, 2015: Supports the Vienna nuclear accord with world powers on Iran’s nuclear programme.
- January 17, 2020: Leads Friday prayers in Tehran for the first time since 2012, condemning ongoing anti-government protests.
- October 3, 2022: Blames the United States and Israel for instigating nationwide unrest following the death of Mahsa Amini.
- June 13–24, 2025: Goes into hiding during a 12-day war with Israel, in which the United States briefly intervenes, emerging from the conflict unscathed.
- January 17, 2026: Declares that “Iran must break the back of the seditionists” as authorities crack down on the largest protests against the Islamic Republic in over three years.
- February 28, 2026: Killed in a wave of strikes launched by the United States and Israel, marking the dramatic end of his nearly four-decade tenure as Iran’s supreme leader.
Khamenei’s life reflects a complex intersection of religious authority, political power, and enduring influence in Iranian society. From surviving assassination attempts to navigating wars and international sanctions, his leadership left a profound imprint on Iran and its role on the global stage.
