Because the battle between Israel and Iran intensifies, each US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have raised the opportunity of focusing on Tehran’s omnipotent chief, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
A direct assault on Khamenei would plunge the area into uncharted territory.
One of the vital {powerful} males within the Center East, Khamenei has dominated Iran with an iron fist for practically 4 a long time, going through off towards the US and Israel whereas crushing dissent at house and advancing Iran’s controversial nuclear program.
As supreme chief, he wields management of the federal government, judiciary and army within the nation of 90 million, in addition to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) and the {powerful} Quds power, a clandestine IRGC unit that oversees proxies together with Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis.
Born in 1939 in Mashhad, Iran’s holiest metropolis, Khamenei was the protégé of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, one of many fundamental leaders of the revolution that toppled Iran’s pro-Western monarchy in 1979 and established the Islamic Republic.
He was additionally a goal for Khomeini’s opponents and escaped an assassination try in 1981 that left his proper arm ineffective.
Khamenei grew to become supreme chief following Khomeini’s demise in 1989. Since then, he has expanded Iran’s affect far past its personal borders, positioning it as a regional energy to be reckoned with.
For greater than 30 years below Khamenei’s management, Iran averted direct conflicts with its adversaries, entrenching itself with a community of allied militant teams unfold all through the area referred to as the “Axis of Resistance.”
That modified when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.
Israel’s battle in Gaza and assaults on Hezbollah, one in every of Iran’s most prized proxies, have emboldened Israel and shattered the picture of Iran as an impenetrable energy, culminating in final week’s unprecedented strikes towards Iran’s nuclear amenities and high army management.
