Images of Iran: Mullahs - Ayatollah Khomeini and Ayatollah Ali Khameini
Ayatollah Khomeini was the spiritual leader of the 1979 Iranian Revolution which lead to the overthrow of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran. Ayatollah Ali Khameini was president of Iran 1981 - 1989. Khameini has subsequently been Supreme Leader of Iran since 1989.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (born 1939) is Iran’s second and longest-serving Supreme Leader, having held the position since 1989. A Shiʿa cleric, he emerged as a key figure after the 1979 Islamic Revolution and served as President of Iran from 1981 to 1989 before succeeding Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. As Supreme Leader, Khamenei occupies the highest authority in the Iranian political system, exercising decisive influence over the armed forces, judiciary, state media, and major political appointments. His leadership has shaped Iran’s domestic politics and foreign policy for decades, emphasizing revolutionary ideology, resistance to Western influence, and the central role of clerical authority within the state.
