Iranian statesman and cleric Seyyed Ali Hosseini Khamenei (1939–2026) was Iran’s second Supreme Leader from 1989 until his passing in February 2026. He has been a key figure in the Islamic Republic since the 1979 revolution, leading the nation’s assertive foreign policy and domestic power consolidation for almost forty years.

Born in Mashhad, Iran, on April 19, 1939

Died: February 28, 2026 (as reported in Tehran)

Religious title: Twelver Shia cleric, Ayatollah

Iran’s president from 1981 to 1989

Supreme Leader: 1989–2026

After studying under eminent academics in Qom, such as Ruhollah Khomeini, Khamenei joined anti-monarchical organizations in the 1960s and was imprisoned by the Shah. He co-founded the Islamic Republican Party and joined the Revolutionary Council during the 1979 revolution. After a wave of political violence in 1981, he was elected president and held office for two terms before being promoted to supreme leader upon Khomeini’s death in 1989.

Under the tenet of velayat-e faqih (government by the Islamic jurist), Khamenei increased the authority of his position as supreme leader. He established the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a powerful political and economic force and consolidated authority over the armed forces, courts, and media. Internationally, he presented Iran’s nuclear program and its “Axis of Resistance” coalition as strategic deterrents; domestically, he repressed reform movements like the 2009 Green Movement.

During his last years, Khamenei appointed reliable individuals, such as Ali Larijani, to high-security positions and supported President Ebrahim Raisi and later Masoud Pezeshkian. Pressure on his reign increased following the death of Jina Mahsa Amini in 2022 and the economic disaster brought on by the sanctions. He was murdered in coordinated airstrikes on Iran on February 28, 2026, according to reports from Israeli and American sources, but Iranian officials first denied the allegation.

Legacy Khamenei remains one of the most enduring rulers in contemporary Middle Eastern history. The dictatorial framework of the Islamic Republic, its militant regional affiliations, and its ongoing conflict with Western powers were all determined during his time.