Supreme Leader of Iran
The supreme leader of Iran,[a] also called the supreme leadership authority,[b] is the head of state and the highest political and religious authority of Iran above the president. The armed forces, judiciary, state radio and television, and other key government organizations such as the Guardian Council and Expediency Discernment Council are subject to the supreme leader.[3][4] as supreme leader, Khamenei has issued decrees and made the final decisions on the economy, the environment, foreign policy, education, national planning, and other aspects of governance in Iran.
| Supreme Leadership Authority of the Islamic Republic of Iran
رهبر معظم انقلاب اسلامی ایران (Persian) رهبر جمهوری اسلامی ایران | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Office of the Supreme Leader | |
| Style | His Eminence |
| Type | Head of state (de facto)[1] Commander-in-chief of the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces Provisional[source?] head of the three branches of the state (the Judiciary, the Legislature, and the Executive) |
| Residence | Jamaran Hussainiya (former) House of Leadership (present) |
| Seat | Tehran |
| Appointer | Assembly of Experts |
| Term length | Life tenure[2] |
| Constituting instrument | Constitution of Iran |
| Precursor | Shah of Iran |
| Formation | 5 February 1979 (as Revolutionary Leader) 3 December 1979 (as Supreme Leader) |
| First holder | Ruhollah Khomeini |
| Succession | Interim Leadership Council if the office is vacant |
| Unofficial names | Revolutionary Leader (5 February 1979 – 3 December 1979) |
| Deputy | Grand Ayatollah Hussein-Ali Montazeri (15 July 1985 – 25 April 1989) |
| Website | www.leader.ir |
The office was established by the Constitution of Iran in 1979 by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's concept of the Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist,[5] and is a lifetime appointment.[6]
In its history, the Islamic Republic of Iran had only three supreme leaders: Khomeini, who held the position from 1979 until his death in 1989; Ali Khamenei, who has held the position for more than 30 years until his assassination in 2026; and Khamenei's son Mojtaba Khamenei, who has held the position since 2026.
List of supreme leaders
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Election | Presidents | Political party | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||||
| 1 | 
|
Seyyed Ruhollah Khomeini سیدروحالله خمینی (1900–1989) 
|
3 December 1979[c] | 3 June 1989 (Died in office) |
9 years and 6 months | / | List:
|
N/A | Leader of the 1979 Iranian Revolution,[7] and founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran.[8] |
| 2 | 
|
Seyyed Ali Khamenei سیدعلی خامنهای (1939–2026) 
|
6 August 1989[d] | 28 February 2026 (Assassinated in office) |
36 years, 8 months and 24 days | 1989 | List:
|
|
Previously served as President of Iran from 1981 until Khomeini's death.[9] |
| 3 | .jpg)
|
Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei سید مجتبی خامنهای (born 1969) 
|
8 March 2026 | Incumbent | 2 months and 17 days | 2026 | Masoud Pezeshkian | N/A | Son of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. |
Timeline
Supreme Leader Of Iran Media
Ali Khamenei voting in the 2017 Presidential election
Ali Khamenei with Swedish prime minister Stefan Löfven, 2017
Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei meeting with chairman of the Hamas Shura Council Ismail Haniyeh and leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Ziyad al-Nakhalah, July 2024
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei met with Hajj authorities, 2018
Ali Khamenei, second supreme leader of Iran, and his claim of "speaking with God"
Ruhollah Khomeini portrait 2 (cropped)
Ali Khamenei Nowruz message official portrait 1397 02 (cropped)(2)
Ayatollah Sayyid Mojtaba Khamenei, 10 April 2026 (cropped)
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Notes
References
- ↑ Heads of State, Heads of Government, and Ministers for Foreign AffairsUnited Nations. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
- ↑ Iran's possible next Supreme Leader being examined: Rafsanjani. 13 December 2015. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-election-leader-idUSKBN0TW0OV20151213. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
- ↑ "Who's in Charge?" by Ervand Abrahamian London Review of Books, 6 November 2008
- ↑ mshabani. Did Khamenei block Rouhani's science minister? (23 October 2017).
- ↑ Article 5, Iranian Constitution
- ↑ Iran's possible next Supreme Leader being examined: Rafsanjani. 13 December 2015. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-election-leader-idUSKBN0TW0OV20151213. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
- ↑ Steinzova, Lucie; Greer, Stuart (8 February 2019). "In Pictures: Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution". RFE/RL. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-politics-revolution/29752729.html. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
- ↑ Nettleton, Todd (2 January 2020). Ayatollah Khomeini: The greatest Christian missionary in the history of Iran. https://www.christianpost.com/voice/ayatollah-khomeini-the-greatest-christian-missionary-in-the-history-of-iran.html. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
- ↑ Vatanka, Alex (29 October 2019). "Iran's IRGC Has Long Kept Khamenei in Power". Foreign Policy. https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/10/29/iran-irgc-islamic-revolutionary-guard-corps-kept-supreme-leader-ayatollah-ali-khamenei-power/. Retrieved 4 January 2020.