Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Name	Ali Khamenei
Birth date	1939-07-17
Birth place	Mashhad, Iran
Nationality	Iranian
Occupation	Cleric, Politician
Title	Supreme Leader of Iran

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is an Iranian Shia cleric and politician who has served as the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran since 1989. He was previously President of Iran and a close associate of figures from the Iranian Revolution such as Ruhollah Khomeini, Mohammad Beheshti, and Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. His tenure has shaped relations with states and organizations including the United States, the Soviet Union, China, Russia, Hezbollah, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Early life and education

Khamenei was born in Mashhad and raised in a family linked to clerical institutions in Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan Province, and studied in seminaries associated with figures like Mohammad-Reza Golpaygani and Mirza Hashem Amoli. He attended the Hawza in Qom, studying under teachers including Ruhollah Khomeini, Morteza Motahhari, Hossein Borujerdi, and Ali Meshkini. His seminary education involved texts by jurists such as Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr, Allama Tabatabai, and exposure to debates about Wilayat al-Faqih articulated by Ruhollah Khomeini and contrasted with positions from Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Kazem Shariatmadari. During his youth he interacted with activists from groups like the National Front (Iran) and revolutionaries connected to the Tudeh Party of Iran and participated in movements against the Pahlavi dynasty and Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

Political rise and roles before Supreme Leader

Khamenei served in roles linking the clerical establishment to institutions such as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Assembly of Experts for Constitution, and the office of the President of Iran. He was a member of the Iranian Parliament (Majlis) and allied with political actors like Mehdi Bazargan, Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Mohammad-Ali Rajai, and Hojatoleslam. During the Iran–Iraq War Khamenei worked with commanders including Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Mohammad Ali Jafari and engaged with state bodies like the Ministry of Intelligence (Iran), the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, and the Expediency Discernment Council. He won election as President in 1981 and again in 1985, navigating crises that involved hostage episodes linked to United States–Iran relations, regional dynamics involving Iraq, and internal disputes with factions such as the Mojahedin-e Khalq and conservative and reformist blocs.

Supreme Leader of Iran

Proclaimed Supreme Leader after the death of Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989, Khamenei succeeded amid debates in the Assembly of Experts and with influence from figures like Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Mohammad-Javad Bahonar, and Ali Akbar Hashemi. As Supreme Leader he oversees institutions including the Armed Forces (Islamic Republic of Iran), the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Quds Force, the Assembly of Experts, and the Guardian Council. His leadership intersects with presidents such as Mohammad Khatami, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Hassan Rouhani, and Ebrahim Raisi, and with state organs like the Judiciary of Iran and Majlis.

Domestic policies and governance

Khamenei has influenced economic and social policy through bodies like the Executive Office of the President of Iran, the Plan and Budget Organization, and state enterprises tied to the Bonyad foundations and the Setad. Domestic governance under his leadership has involved interactions with political movements such as the Green Movement (Iran), the Islamic Coalition Party, and the Combatant Clergy Association. He has overseen responses to protests including the 2009 demonstrations after the 2009 Iranian presidential election and the 2019–2020 protests, coordinating security responses involving the Iranian Basij and the Law Enforcement Force of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Economic measures have been shaped amid sanctions by the United States, the European Union, and multilateral institutions, affecting sectors tied to National Iranian Oil Company and Central Bank of Iran.

Foreign policy and international relations

Khamenei's foreign policy stances have framed relations with actors such as the United States, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Russia, China, and Venezuela. He has overseen strategic ties with non-state actors like Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Popular Mobilization Forces, and supported initiatives linked to the Axis of Resistance. Nuclear negotiations involving the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action featured negotiators from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Iran) and interlocutors such as Federica Mogherini and John Kerry, with Khamenei setting red lines on issues like enrichment and inspections. Sanctions regimes by the United States Department of the Treasury and diplomatic tensions during events like the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA have shaped Tehran’s alignment with Eurasian Economic Union partners and energy diplomacy with OPEC members.

Religious authority and ideology

As a high-ranking cleric Khamenei claims authority within the Shia hierarchy while interacting with institutions like the Hawza of Qom and scholars such as Ali al-Sistani, Seyyed Hossein Nasr, and Mustafa Mohaghegh Damad. His ideological positions draw on Wilayat al-Faqih, revolutionary jurisprudence articulated by Ruhollah Khomeini, and political thought addressing relations with Western thinkers and regional doctrines. He has issued guidance through khutbahs at Friday prayers and statements on issues ranging from social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook to bioethics and cultural policy involving the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance.

Controversies and criticism

Khamenei's tenure has provoked criticism from international institutions like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International and from political figures such as Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi. Controversies include allegations related to human rights practices during crackdowns on protesters, disputes over custodianship of economic assets like Setad and the Bonyad, and tensions with diaspora organizations including the National Council of Resistance of Iran. His role in events like the suppression of the 1999 Iran student protests, the 2009 Iranian presidential election protests, and policies toward LGBT rights in Iran have drawn condemnation from bodies such as the United Nations Human Rights Council and led to sanctions imposed by governments including the United States Department of State and the European Union.

Category:Iranian clerics Category:Lebanon–Iran relations Category:Supreme Leaders of Iran