Iranian public television confirmed this Sunday morning the death of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in the US and Israeli bombings against Iran.

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Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, died following a major attack by Israel and the United States on Tehran and other major Iranian cities earlier this Saturday.

Ali Khamenei has been the spiritual guide of the Persian country since he was appointed in 1989, almost 37 years ago, during which he always kept the “enemies” of the nation in his sights, mainly the United States and Israel.

Ali Khamenei, born in 1939, is the Supreme Leader of Iran and commander of the Armed Forces since 1989, after succeeding Ayatollah Khomeini. His power is absolute, with control over key institutions. Fearing for his safety, he appointed possible political successors.

Of Shiite religious origin, he studied the Koran and actively participated in the Islamic movement against the Shah, being imprisoned several times. After the 1979 Revolution, he was part of the Council of the Revolution and then a deputy in the first Parliament.

After being a member of the Supreme Defense Council of Iran and ministerial advisor, commander of the Revolutionary Guards and leader of the weekly Friday prayer in Tehran, he was elected successor to Khomeini in 1989, showing a moderate tendency and seeking to revive relations with the West.

In 1994, he became the highest authority of Shiite Islam. He faced university protests in 1998 that called for the separation of politics and religion, and criticized the 2022 demonstrations after the death of Masha Amini. In 2023, he described Israel as genocidal for the bombings in Gaza.

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