By Admin 
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has died. Reuters has claimed this quoting an Israeli official. After this incident, 40 days of national mourning has been declared in Iran. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was born in Mashhad in 1939. His family was ordinary. His father, Ayatollah Javad Husseini Khamenei, was a religious scholar and used to lead prayers in the mosque. The family house was small, where everyone lived in limited space. Khamenei was called ‘Sayyid Ali’ because his family is considered to be related to the lineage of Prophet Mohammed.
In the 1960s, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei visited Qom, where he studied with Ruhollah Khomeini. At the same time, protests against the Shah were intensifying in Iran. In 1963 he had to go to jail due to political activities. In later years also he was arrested several times. During jail he further strengthened his ideas. After the Islamic Revolution of 1979, the Shah’s power ended and Khomeini returned to Iran. Khamenei played an important role in the new system. In 1981 he became the President of Iran. In the same year, he was injured in a bomb attack, due to which one of his hands became weak, but he continued his political career.
When did Khamenei become the Supreme Leader of Iran?
After Khomeini’s death in June 1989, Khamenei was elected Supreme Leader of Iran. He held this post since July 1989. As the Supreme Leader, he had the final authority to command the army, appoint senior officers and take important decisions. He built strong relationships with the Revolutionary Guards and consolidated his power. During his tenure, an organization named Setad was also in the news, which manages confiscated properties and is known as a large economic network. His son Mojtaba Khamenei has also been active in political and religious circles.