Khamenei
Iran's supreme leader
Khamenei refers to Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran since 1989 and the highest-ranking political and religious authority in the Islamic Republic.
As successor to Ayatollah Khomeini, he holds ultimate power over Iran's government, military, and judiciary.
The name appears frequently in discussions of Middle Eastern politics and U.S.-Iran relations: Khamenei issued a statement condemning the sanctions.
Senior Shia clerical title
- theocracyRule by religious authority
- clericalOf office duties
- ConstitutionGoverning principles document
- mandateFormal authoritative directive
Wilayat al-Faqih · decree · authority · succession · Khomeini · lifetime tenure · commander-in-chief · veto power
Hostile toward the States
- anti-IsraelOpposed to the Jewish state
- HezbollahLebanese Shiite militant organization
- HamasGazan Islamist governing body
- SyriaLevant country, capital Damascus
proxy forces · nuclear negotiations · sanctions · regional influence · Middle East · confrontation
Muslim denomination following Ali
- AyatollahSenior Shia clerical title
- clericOrdained religious leader
- fatwaIslamic legal pronouncement
- theologyStudy of the divine
jurisprudence · seminary · imam · Quran · hadith · Islamic law · religious authority · spiritual leader
Iran's capital city
- PersianOf or from Iran
- sanctionsPunitive international restrictions
- nuclear programState-run fission development effort
- oilSlippery viscous fluid
Persian Gulf · 1979 · hostage crisis · Ahmadinejad · US relations
Favoring absolute control
- regimeSystem of governance
- censorshipOfficial content restriction
- repressionUnconscious blocking of thoughts
- human rightsInalienable personal freedoms
protests · dissent · crackdown · political prisoners · election interference · media control · opposition · reformists
Ayatollah
Senior Shia clerical title
- theocracyRule by religious authority
- clericalOf office duties
- ConstitutionGoverning principles document
Wilayat al-Faqih · mandate · decree · authority · succession · Khomeini · lifetime tenure · commander-in-chief · veto power · appointments
anti-American
Hostile toward the States
- anti-IsraelOpposed to the Jewish state
- HezbollahLebanese Shiite militant organization
- HamasGazan Islamist governing body
Syria · proxy forces · nuclear negotiations · sanctions · regional influence · Middle East · confrontation
Shia Islam
Muslim denomination following Ali
theology · jurisprudence · seminary · imam · Quran · hadith · Islamic law · religious authority · spiritual leader · Friday prayers
Tehran
Iran's capital city
- PersianOf or from Iran
- sanctionsPunitive international restrictions
- nuclear programState-run fission development effort
oil · Persian Gulf · 1979 · hostage crisis · Ahmadinejad · US relations
authoritarian
Favoring absolute control
- regimeSystem of governance
- censorshipOfficial content restriction
- repressionUnconscious blocking of thoughts
human rights · protests · dissent · crackdown · political prisoners · election interference · media control · opposition · reformists · hardliners
KhameneiAngela Merkel
parliamentary leader · Jacinda Ardern · constitutional monarch · Joe Biden · Emmanuel Macron