Ali Khamenei, the current Supreme Leader of Iran, has held this position since 1989. Considered the most powerful political authority in Iran, he surpasses even the President of the country. With a background as a Shia Cleric, Khamenei emphasizes the importance of human rights in Islamic teachings. Prior to his role as Supreme Leader, he served as the President of Iran and played a significant role in the Iranian Revolution of 1979. Despite facing an attempted assassination that left him with a paralyzed arm, Khamenei persevered and succeeded Ruhollah Khomeini as the second Supreme Leader of Iran.
Quick Facts
- Also Known As: Sayyid Ali Hosseini Khamenei
- Age: 84 Years, 84 Year Old Males
Family
- Spouse/Ex-: Khojaste Bagherzadeh
- Father: Seyyed Javad Khamenei
- Mother: Khadijeh Mirdamadi
- Siblings: Hadi Khamenei, Mohammad Khamenei, Rababeh Khamenei
- Children: Boshra Khamenei, Hoda Khamenei, Masoud Khamenei, Meysam Khamenei, Mojtaba Khamenei, Mostafa Khamenei
Quotes By Ali Khamenei
Presidents
Childhood & Early Life
Ali Khamenei was born on 17 July 1939 in Mashhad, Iran. He was the second of eight children born to Seyyed Javad Khamenei and Khadijeh Mirdamadi. From a young age, he attended religious studies at the hawza of Mashhad, where he was mentored by Sheikh Hashem Qazvini and Ayatollah Milani. In 1958, he traveled to Qom and studied under Seyyed Hossein Borujerdi and Ruhollah Khomeini. He became involved in Islamic activities in 1963 and was imprisoned multiple times by Iran’s security services. His association with Khomeini was profound and lasted throughout his life.
Career
Ali Khamenei collaborated with other like-minded clerics, such as Mohammad Beheshti, Mohammad Javad Bahonar, Abdul-Karim Mousavi Ardebili, and Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, to found the Islamic Republic Party in 1979. He served as the Deputy Minister for Defence and as a supervisor of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards in 1980. In 1981, he survived an assassination attempt by the Mojahedin Khalq Organization, which left him with a disabled right arm. Shortly after, he was elected President of Iran in October 1981, becoming the first cleric to hold this office. He guided the nation during the Iraq-Iran War and was reelected in 1985. As the president, he also held positions as the chairman of the Supreme Defense Council and the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council.
In 1989, Ruhollah Khomeini, the Supreme Leader of Iran, passed away, and Ali Khamenei succeeded him, becoming the new Supreme Leader of Iran. In this role, he holds even more power than the President of Iran, and the approval of the Leader is required for the taking of office by the democratically elected president.
Controversies and Beliefs
Ali Khamenei has been a subject of international debate due to Iran’s nuclear program. He issued a fatwa stating that the production, stockpiling, and use of nuclear weapons are forbidden under Islam. Despite being a conservative Muslim, he supports stem cell research and therapeutic cloning, as he believes in scientific progress. He has emphasized the importance of investing in science and technology and giving higher status to scholars in Iran.
His relationships with Iran’s presidents have often made headlines due to his position of power. He had a peaceful working relationship with President Hashemi Rafsanjani in the early 1990s. However, his relationship with President Mohammad Khatami was more conflicted, as their ideologies differed. Khamenei has been criticized by the western media for the state of human rights in Iran, although he claims to consider human rights a fundamental principle of Islamic teachings. He holds conservative views on issues such as homosexuality and the compulsory hijab for women. He has also faced criticism for curbing freedom of the press and making racist and anti-Semitic threats against Israel. However, he supported the Egyptian uprising, describing it as an Islamic awakening.
Major Works
Ali Khamenei played a key role in the 1979 Iranian revolution, which led to the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty and the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He also guided the country during the Iran-Iraq War.
Personal Life & Legacy
In 1964, Ali Khamenei married Khojaste Bagherzadeh. The couple has four sons and two daughters.