Khamenei Born: Iran's Future Supreme Leader Arrives
Ali Khamenei has wielded supreme authority over Iran's political, military, and religious institutions since 1989, longer than any leader since the Islamic Revolution. His hardline governance consolidated clerical control over the state, expanded Iran's regional influence through proxy militias, and pursued nuclear development despite international sanctions. His decisions continue to shape Middle Eastern geopolitics and Iran's fraught relationship with the West.
July 17, 1939
87 years ago
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