End of an era: Khamenei, the architect of Iran’s iron rule

DUBAI Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader who steered the Islamic Republic for more than three decades through war, sanctions, internal unrest and escalating confrontation with the United States and Israel, has died at the age of 86.

Iranian state media reported his death early Sunday following a major joint military operation by the United States and Israel targeting sites in and around Tehran.

US President Donald Trump said hours earlier that Khamenei had been killed in the strikes.

According to Iran’s semiofficial Fars news agency, Khamenei’s daughter, son-in-law, a grandchild and a daughter-in-law were also killed in the attack, citing unidentified sources. Iranian authorities declared 40 days of public mourning and a seven-day nationwide holiday.

Khamenei’s death marks the end of an era for the Islamic Republic he inherited from Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989 and reshaped into a tightly controlled theocratic state underpinned by the powerful Revolutionary Guard. His rule spanned the Iran-Iraq War’s aftermath, repeated waves of domestic protest, the rise and fall of regional proxy forces, and a prolonged nuclear standoff with the West.

What follows is the arc of a cleric who rose from revolutionary activist to become the most powerful figure in modern Iranian history.

Born: April 19, 1939, in Mashhad, Iran — one of Iran’s holiest cities with deep Shiite religious heritage. His father was a cleric, which placed Khamenei early within religious circles.

He began Islamic studies from a young age, eventually moving to Qom, the centre of Shiite scholarship, where he became a student and close associate of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini — the spiritual leader of the anti-Shah movement.

During the 1960s and 1970s, Khamenei engaged in anti-Shah political activism, was repeatedly arrested by the Shah’s secret police (SAVAK), and faced both imprisonment and exile. His commitment during this period cemented his revolutionary credentials.

Khamenei played an active role in organising protests and promoting Khomeini’s ideology as the Shah’s rule collapsed. He became a member of the Revolutionary Council that shaped the new Islamic Republic.

After the revolution’s success, he quickly received positions of influence, including roles as deputy defence minister and Friday prayer leader in Tehran — a position that blended religious authority with political visibility.

In 1981, in the midst of the Iran-Iraq War (1980–1988), Khamenei was elected President of Iran, serving two terms until 1989. During this time, he:

Oversaw government operations during a devastating war.

Strengthened ties with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) — a military force that would later become central to Iran’s domestic and regional policy.

A bomb attack during his presidency injured him, leaving him with a permanently weakened right arm.

1989: After Ayatollah Khomeini’s death, Iran’s Assembly of Experts chose Khamenei — then the sitting president — as the second Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic.

The constitution was amended slightly to reduce the religious requirement for the position, allowing Khamenei, who was considered a less senior cleric than Khomeini, to assume it.

As Supreme Leader — the highest authority in Iran — he held ultimate control over:

Judicial system

Intelligence services

State media and foreign policy

Key appointments, including judiciary heads, security commanders, and clerical councils.

Domestic & Foreign Policy (1989–2026)

Domestic Influence

Suppression of dissent — from the 1999 student protests to the 2009 Green Movement and the nearly nationwide 2022 “Woman, Life, Freedom” uprising sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini.

Concentration of power in conservative and security institutions, most notably the IRGC, which increasingly dominated politics and the economy.

Tight control over elections, media, and public discourse, often limiting reformist movements when they threatened regime stability.

Under his leadership, Iran projected power regionally by backing allied militia and political movements across the Middle East — including in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen — often described as the “Axis of Resistance.”

Khamenei also championed Iran’s controversial nuclear programme, defending its expansion despite sanctions and global tensions, even while issuing a religious decree (fatwa) against nuclear weapons.

For decades, Khamenei maintained firm authoritarian control over Iran under the banner of defending the revolution. But his legacy was deeply contested — admired by hardliners for defending sovereignty, yet criticised widely for repression and stagnation.

February 28, 2026: He was killed at age 86 in US and Israeli airstrikes on Tehran — a dramatic and historic end to over thirty-six years as Iran’s Supreme Leader.