00:00Ali Khamenei, Iran's anti-Western supreme leader who dominated the Islamic Republic for more than
00:05three decades, has died at 86. Born in 1939 in Mashant, Khamenei studied under Ayatollah
00:12Ruhollah Khomeini and rose from revolutionary cleric to president, then supreme leader in
00:181989 after a constitutional amendment cleared his path. Over time, he transformed from a
00:24soft-spoken cleric into the ultimate authority over Iran's politics, military, and judiciary. He
00:30defined Iran as an implacable foe of the U.S. and Israel, expending the power of the Revolutionary
00:37Guard and its Kurds force. After the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, Iran armed Shiite militias that
00:44later gained formal status in Baghdad, cementing Tehran's influence. He backed Hezbollah in Lebanon
00:50and supported Hamas in Gaza. Alliances batted after Israel's 2023 war with Hamas and the 2024
00:58ouster of Syria's Bashar al-Assad. At home, Khamenei ruled with an iron grip. Protests in 2009, 2019,
01:082022, and a nationwide revolt in 2026 were met with deadly crackdowns. He also defended the Guard after
01:16it shot down a Ukrainian airliner filled with Iranian nationals in the tense aftermath of a U.S. drone
01:22attack that killed Khamenei's most prized General Qasem Soleimani. He insisted Iran didn't seek nuclear
01:30weapons yet advanced a contested nuclear program and outlasted the collapse of the 2015 deal. To
01:37supporters, he was a guardian of the Revolution. To critics, a leader who preserved power and immense human cost.
Comments