Ali Khamenei

**Ali Hosseini Khamenei** (19 April 1939 – 28 February 2026) be an Iranian cleric den politician wey serve as de supreme leader of Iran since 1989, de second person to hold de position. He previously serve as de presido of Iran from 1981 to 1989. Ein tenure as supreme leader, wey dey span 36 years, make am de longest-serving head of state insyd de Middle East den de longest-serving Iranian leader since Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

Born into de Khamenei family, he study at a hawza insyd ein hometown, later settling insyd Qom insyd 1958, wer he attend de classes of Ruhollah Khomeini. Khamenei cam be involved in opposition to Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, de shah of Iran, wey na dem arrest am six times before dem exiled am for three years by de Shah ein regime. Khamenei be a mainstream figure insyd de 1978–1979 Iranian Revolution, den upon ein success, he hold chaw posts insyd de newly established Islamic Republic of Iran. Insyd de aftermath of de revolution, na he be de target of an attempted assassination wey paralyse ein right arm. Der be continued assassination threats against Khamenei by Israel. Khamenei serve as de third presido of Iran from 1981 to 1989 during de Iran–Iraq War, wen na he sanso develop close ties to de Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). After de death of Khomeini insyd 1989, dem elect Khamenei supreme leader by de Assembly of Experts. As opposed to ein predecessor, wey hold de position of Grand Ayatollah, na Khamenei be a middle ranking cleric per, wey he no even be an Ayatollah before ein appointment. He achieve de position thru de employment of state media, patronage networks, den de security apparatus.

As supreme leader, Khamenei support Iran ein nuclear program for civilian use while he dey issue a fatwa wey dey forbid de production of weapons of mass destruction. Khamenei favour economic privatization of state-owned industries den, plus oil den gas reserves, he transform Iran into an "energy superpower". Na ein foreign policy center on Shia Islamism den dey export de Iranian Revolution. Khamenei play a pivotal role insyd de development of de IRGC, wey transform am into a primary tool for domestic control den regional influence. Under Khamenei, Iran support de "Axis of Resistance" coalition insyd de Syrian civil war, War in Iraq, Yemeni civil war den de Gaza war, as well as Russia during de Russo-Ukrainian war. A staunch critic of Israel den of Zionism, Khamenei support de Palestinians insyd de Israeli–Palestinian conflict; ein rhetoric include calls for Israel ein destruction den antisemitic tropes. Under Khamenei, Iran be involved insyd proxy wars plus Israel den Saudi Arabia; insyd 2025 den 2026, tensions plus Israel den de United States escalate to a 12-day armed conflict den ongoing strikes.

Dem identify am as a pragmatic hardliner, Khamenei sideline leftist factions, moderate clerics, den political dissidents, while occasionally dey ease restrictions wen de regime ein stability anaa legitimacy be threatened. Ein leadership be closely associate plus de expansion of state militarization den de consolidation of power within de office of de Supreme Leader. Khamenei sanso face chaw protests, wey dey include de 1999 Iranian student protests, de 2009 Iranian presidential election protests, de 2011–2012 Iranian protests, de 2017–2018 Iranian protests, de 2018–2019 Iranian general strikes den protests, de 2019–2020 Iranian protests, de Mahsa Amini protests, den de 2025–2026 Iranian protests. Na dem put journalists, bloggers den oda individuals on trial insyd Iran for de charges of insulting Supreme Leader Khamenei, often in conjunction plus blasphemy charges. Dema sentences include lashing den jail time; sam of dem die insyd custody. He sanso be known by de title Ayatollah wey he be considered one of de leading Shia Muslim marja' insyd de world. Khamenei ein critics view am as a repressive despot responsible for repression, mass murders den oda acts of injustice.

## Personal life
### Family
Khamenei marry Mansoureh Khojasteh Bagherzadeh, plus whom he get six kiddies; four sons (Mostafa, Mojtaba, Masoud, den Meysam) den two daughters (Boshra and Hoda). One of ein sons, Mojtaba, marry a daughter of Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel. Ein eldest son, Mostafa, marry a daughter of Azizollah Khoshvaght. Anoda son, Masoud, marry de daughter of Mohsen Kharazi. He get three bros, wey dey include Mohammad Khamenei den Hadi Khamenei. One of ein four sistos, Badri Khamenei, wifey of dissident Ali Tehrani, flee into exile insyd de 1980s.

## Works
Sam of ein works dey include:
* *Four Main Books of Rijal*
* *An Outline of Islamic Thought in the Quran*
* *Honest Leader*
* *Discourse on Patience* (translation by Sayyid Hussein Alamdar, available online)
* *Iqbal - Manifestation of the Islamic Spirit, Two Contemporary Muslim Views* 
** *[https://web.archive.org/web/20090618081641/http://www.khamenei.de/books/iqbal.htm Iqbal, the Poet-Philosopher of Islamic Resurgence]* is one of the "Two Contemporary Muslim Views", the other one is Ali Shariati's.
* *Replies to Inquiries about the Practical Laws of Islam* (PDF version)
* *Lessons from the Nahjul-Balaghah*
* *Human Rights in Islam*
* *The Charter of Freedom*
* *Essence of Tawhid: Denial of Servitude but to God*

Translations from Arabic:

* Sayyid Qutb's *Future in the Realm of Islam*

Collections:

* *A 250 Years Old Person*
* *Palestine*

## References

## External links

### Official
* The Office of the Supreme Leader of Iran

### Photos
* Pictures in Iran-Iraq War , tarikhirani.ir
* Ali Khamenei gallery in Khamenei's website

### Media
* 

### Videos
* Video Archive of Ayatollah Khamenei
* Ayatollah Khamenei in the city of Ardabil reading different poems in Azerbaijani language about Imam Hussein and events in Karbala.