Geopolitics › Middle East & North Africa › Iran
Ali Khamenei
Supreme Leader 1989–2026; killed Feb 28, 2026· Leader
FactTreaties, membership, measured data, events.
Iran's Supreme Leader from 1989 until US–Israeli strikes killed him on February 28, 2026, the Islamic Republic's dominant figure for 37 years.
See it on the Geopolitics map →The picture
Born in Mashhad in 1939, a cleric jailed under the Shah, he was president from 1981 to 1989 and then succeeded Ayatollah Khomeini as Supreme Leader. He controlled the armed forces, judiciary and state media, empowered the Revolutionary Guards, built the Axis of Resistance, and backed the nuclear program while issuing a religious ruling against nuclear weapons. He oversaw crackdowns on protests in 2009, 2019, 2022 and 2026. He was killed, aged 86, on the first day of the 2026 war.
Why it matters
His hostility to the US and Israel defined Iranian policy for a generation; his death forced the first succession since 1989, passing power to his son Mojtaba.
Record
Official Iranian biographies, his speeches and fatwas, Assembly of Experts records and Iranian state confirmation of his death. His legacy is judged very differently inside and outside Iran.
What to watch
Debated: whether his anti-nuclear-weapons fatwa reflected real policy or tactics, and how much he personally directed the Revolutionary Guards' regional campaigns.
Connections (2)
▸Mojtaba Khamenei succeeded Ali KhameneiFact
The relationship
After US–Israeli strikes killed Ali Khamenei on February 28, 2026, the 88-member Assembly of Experts chose his son Mojtaba on March 8. It was the Islamic Republic's first father-to-son succession; the Revolutionary Guards quickly pledged loyalty, while critics said it revived the hereditary rule the 1979 revolution overthrew.
Since when and why
Tehran, March 2026, under wartime conditions. Talk of Mojtaba being groomed as heir dates back at least to 2009.
How we know
Official Assembly of Experts and state-media announcements, and the IRGC's public pledge of allegiance.
What to watch
Whether his father intended him as heir, how freely the Assembly chose, and whether he wields real authority or fronts for the Guards.
▸US–Israel war with Iran (2026) killed Ali KhameneiFact
The relationship
The war's opening wave on February 28, 2026 hit Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, 86, who had ruled Iran since 1989, killing him and dozens of senior officials. Israel and the US targeted him as the man with final say over war, the nuclear program and the Revolutionary Guards.
Since when and why
Tehran, February 28, 2026; an Israeli official said his body was identified that day, and Iran confirmed his death and declared mourning.
How we know
Official Iranian confirmation, funeral arrangements, Israeli and US statements, and the Assembly of Experts' move to choose a successor.
What to watch
How he was located, and whether killing him weakened the regime or rallied hard-liners around his son; analysts disagree.