Iran's supreme leader dead at 86: Who was Ali Khamenei?

"The almighty God has spoken! It was, in fact, my tongue, but the words were God's; it was a very extraordinary gathering. It had a significant impact. Khamenei claimed this while recalling how more than 20 years ago he had started sharing inspiring messages with Revolutionary Guard officers accompanying him, apparently convinced he was the representative of God on Earth."

"In 2018, a student was sentenced to two years in prison for insulting the religious leader after he asked Khamenei in front of cameras whether the supreme leader could be asked questions at all, demonstrating Khamenei's intolerance for questioning his authority and decisions."

"Khamenei assumed the title of supreme leader in 1989 after the death of Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, thus making himself the Middle East nation's head of state for life with final say in all state affairs for more than three decades."

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, born in 1939 in Mashhad, became Iran's supreme leader in 1989 following Ayatollah Khomeini's death, holding the position for life. Since 2021, Khamenei has increasingly referred to himself when discussing state matters and claimed divine authority, stating that God spoke through him during gatherings with Revolutionary Guard officers. He positioned himself as God's representative on Earth. Khamenei maintained absolute control over all state affairs and discouraged questioning his decisions, never granting interviews. In 2018, a student received a two-year prison sentence for asking whether the supreme leader could be questioned. Before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Khamenei was imprisoned multiple times for opposing the Shah's regime and was known as a poet and literary critic.

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