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Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Supreme Leader of Iran

Appears in 23 stories

Born: April 19, 1939 (age 86 years), Mashhad, Iran
Children: Mojtaba Khamenei, Hoda Khamenei, Mostafa Khamenei, and more
Spouse: Mansoureh Khojasteh Bagherzadeh (m. 1964)
Education: Islamic Seminary of Qom (1958–1964) and Hawza of Najaf (1957–1958)
Organizations founded: Combatant Clergy Association, Headquarters for Enjoining the Good and Forbidding the Evil, Islamic Republican Party, and more

Notable Quotes

"Rioters must be put in their place." — Statement on January 3, 2026, ordering suppression of Iranian protests

"Negotiating with this US administration won't result in the sanctions being removed. It will cause the knot of sanctions to become tighter." — March 2025

"We will speak with the protesters but rioters should be put in their place." — Televised address, January 2026

Stories

Oil tankers halt Strait of Hormuz transit after US-Israel strikes on Iran

Force in Play

Killed in US-Israeli strike on Tehran on February 28, 2026; succeeded as Supreme Leader by his son Mojtaba Khamenei on March 9, 2026

Talks have narrowed to a single dispute over $24 billion in frozen Iranian assets. Iran wants $12 billion released on any signed agreement; the Trump administration is exploring steering those funds to Gulf allies for reconstruction instead.

Updated 3 days ago

Global oil shock as Iran war shuts down the Strait of Hormuz

Built World

Killed in Israeli airstrike on February 28, 2026

US forces struck Iranian missile sites and mine-laying boats near the Strait of Hormuz on May 25-26, calling the action self-defense. By May 28, negotiators had agreed on a tentative 60-day truce framework covering Hormuz reopening, mine clearance, sanctions waivers, and nuclear talks. Trump had not yet signed off, and Iran suspended all talks through Pakistan mediators on June 1.

Updated Jun 1

US and Israel wage sustained air campaign against Iran's nuclear infrastructure

Force in Play

Killed February 28, 2026

Iran's nuclear infrastructure has become the primary target of an intensifying US-Israeli air campaign that began February 28 and has now entered its sixth week. The Natanz uranium enrichment complex has been struck four times. On April 4, 2026, US and Israeli forces expanded the campaign to strike the Bushehr nuclear power plant and the Mahshahr petrochemical hub in southwestern Iran. The strikes killed at least one security guard and wounded five workers. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has warned that strikes on civilian nuclear power plants cross 'the reddest line' of nuclear safety, raising the risk of a radiological catastrophe. Meanwhile, Iran has demonstrated growing military capability: on April 4, Iranian air defenses downed two US warplanes, marking the first confirmed loss of American aircraft in the conflict.

Updated May 30

Iran activates wartime succession after Khamenei killed in US-Israeli strikes

Force in Play

Killed in US-Israeli strike on February 28, 2026

Ali Khamenei ruled Iran as supreme leader for 36 years until joint US-Israeli strikes on February 28, 2026, killed him along with family members and multiple top military and intelligence officials at his Tehran compound. The succession process is now opaque and under fire, with the Assembly of Experts' Qom site damaged, acting leader Ali Larijani facing a power vacuum, and the IRGC interim council trying to preserve control.

Updated May 30

Iran's retaliatory campaign spreads from Gulf military bases to European embassies

Force in Play

Killed February 28, 2026

For more than four decades, US embassies in the Middle East and Africa have faced bombings, sieges, and missile strikes. None has been attacked in Western Europe — until an incendiary device detonated at the entrance of the US Embassy in Oslo at 1:00 a.m. on March 8, shattering windows and sending smoke into the street.

Updated May 30

Iran's civilian government and Revolutionary Guards publicly split over war strategy

Force in Play

Killed in US-Israeli airstrike on February 28, 2026

Iran's Supreme Leader controlled both the presidency and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for over four decades. Eight days after a joint United States-Israeli airstrike killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, that unified chain of command fractured.

Updated May 30

US and Israel launch war on Iran after nuclear talks collapse

Force in Play

Killed February 28, 2026, in Israeli airstrike on his Tehran compound

For four decades, the United States and Iran avoided direct, large-scale war. That changed on February 28, 2026, when the US and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, military infrastructure, and leadership compounds, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The assault followed collapsed indirect nuclear talks mediated by Oman. Iran retaliated with missile and drone attacks on US bases in the Gulf, oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, and the US Embassy in Riyadh.

Updated May 30

Iran conflict shuts down the world's most important oil chokepoint

Force in Play

Killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes on February 28, 2026

The Iran-US war reached its 73rd day with talks at a deadlock. Trump called Iran's May 10 response 'garbage' and declared the ceasefire on 'massive life support'.

Updated May 30

Iranian strikes on Gulf airports expose vulnerability of global aviation's most connected hub

Built World

Killed in US-Israeli strikes on February 28, 2026

Dubai International Airport processed 95.2 million passengers in 2025 and became the world's busiest in January 2026. On March 1, Iranian missiles and drones struck its terminals, forcing full evacuation. On March 16—16 days into the conflict—another drone hit a fuel tank, reigniting flight suspensions and forcing additional Emirates cancellations despite partial airspace reopening. Abu Dhabi, Doha, and Kuwait shut down simultaneously on February 28, severing three major Gulf hubs that route long-haul traffic between Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Updated May 30

US strikes dismantle Iran's surface fleet after Strait of Hormuz blockade attempt

Force in Play

Killed in Israeli airstrike, February 28, 2026

The last time the United States sank Iranian warships was April 18, 1988. Thirty-eight years later, American forces destroyed nine Iranian naval vessels in a single day and demolished the country's naval headquarters at Chabahar, on the Gulf of Oman.

Updated May 30

US and Israel launch joint military campaign against Iran

Force in Play

Killed by Israeli strike, March 1, 2026

Operation Epic Fury, launched jointly by the United States and Israel on February 28, 2026, reached day 39 with the heaviest strikes yet on Iran. The campaign has confirmed over 9,000 targets hit, more than 130 naval vessels destroyed, and at least 55 senior regime leaders killed.

Updated May 30

US-Iran conflict ignites deadly unrest across Pakistan

Force in Play

Killed in US-Israeli airstrike on February 28, 2026

Pakistan has the second-largest Shia Muslim population on earth — roughly 30 million people. On February 28, joint United States-Israeli airstrikes killed Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Within hours, grief and fury erupted in every major Pakistani city.

Updated May 30

US-Iran nuclear standoff

Rule Changes

Killed in Israeli airstrike on February 28, 2026 during joint US-Israel Operation Roaring Lion; replaced as Supreme Leader by son Mojtaba Khamenei on March 8, 2026

On February 28, 2026, the United States and Israel launched Operations Epic Fury and Roaring Lion—coordinated airstrikes targeting Iranian military infrastructure, nuclear facilities, and senior leadership. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in the strikes; his son Mojtaba was elected as the new Supreme Leader on March 8 but hasn't appeared publicly, reportedly recovering from injuries sustained in the same strike. Iran retaliated by closing the Strait of Hormuz, the chokepoint for 20 percent of world oil trade. Pakistan brokered a ceasefire on April 8, but Iran re-closed the Strait on April 18 after the United States refused to lift its naval blockade imposed following failed peace talks.

Updated May 29

Iran's Lion and Sun revolution

Force in Play

Authorized crackdown; acknowledged 'several thousand' deaths

On February 14, 2026, an estimated 250,000 people marched through Munich during the Munich Security Conference, the largest protest ever held in Europe against Iran's government. The same day, 350,000 gathered in Toronto and 60,000 in Los Angeles—part of a coordinated Global Day of Action called by Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran's last shah, who has lived outside Iran for 47 years. Over one million people participated worldwide.

Updated May 29

Iran's largest uprising since 1979

Force in Play

Killed in US-Israeli airstrike on February 28, 2026; succeeded by son Mojtaba

The December 2025 uprising was suppressed at massive cost. HRANA's February 23 report, 'The Crimson Winter,' verified 7,007 deaths—6,488 adult protesters, 236 minors, 207 security forces, and 76 bystanders—with another 11,744 cases still under review. President Pezeshkian publicly apologized for the massacres on February 11.

Updated May 26

U.S. carrier strike groups converge on Persian Gulf

Force in Play

Killed Feb 28; son Mojtaba designated successor Mar 8

Three U.S. carrier strike groups deployed: USS Abraham Lincoln (Arabian Sea since January 2026), USS Gerald R. Ford (Mediterranean), and USS George H.W. Bush. This triple-carrier presence responded to Iran's crackdown on December 2025 protests.

Updated May 24

EU labels Iran's Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization

Rule Changes

Ordered crackdown that triggered EU designation

For over two decades, the European Union resisted designating Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, wary of severing diplomatic ties with Tehran. On January 29, 2026, that resistance collapsed. All 27 EU foreign ministers voted unanimously to place the IRGC on the same legal footing as al-Qaeda, Hamas, and Islamic State—a designation that triggers automatic asset freezes and travel bans across the bloc. Within hours, the United Kingdom signaled it would follow suit with separate legislation targeting hostile state agencies.

Updated May 23

Iran's deadliest protest crackdown since the 1979 revolution

Force in Play

Approved premeditated crackdown blueprint; warned by officials of collapse risk from US strikes

Iran's 2022 uprising killed roughly 500 people over several months. The current one has killed at least 6,842 people (possibly more than 30,000) in just over five weeks; leaked documents reveal Supreme Leader Khamenei approved a premeditated crackdown blueprint months in advance.[1][2]

Updated May 23

Iran's regime faces its gravest challenge since 1979

Force in Play

Acknowledged 'thousands' killed, blames U.S. and Israel

Bazaar merchants bankrolled Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution. Now they're in the streets demanding its end.

Updated May 22

Iran's bloodiest crackdown since 1979

Force in Play

Publicly acknowledged 'thousands' killed in crackdown, blamed Trump and U.S.-Israel conspiracy

The Islamic Republic has survived four decades of protests—but never anything like this. What began on December 28 as Tehran bazaar merchants protesting a collapsing currency became Iran's largest uprising since the 1979 revolution, with demonstrations in all 31 provinces.

Updated May 21

Iran's economic collapse triggers largest uprising since 1979

Force in Play

Acknowledged 'thousands' killed on January 17; called 'sick man' by Trump who demanded regime change; warned Trump would 'be brought down' like historical tyrants; faces EU terrorist designation of IRGC

Iran's nationwide uprising, triggered by December 28, 2025 bazaar marches in Tehran, was crushed in what may be the deadliest massacre in the Islamic Republic's history. An internet blackout that began January 8 was partially restored around January 17-18, though connectivity remains severely restricted. Early reports confirmed 572 deaths; after internet restoration in late January, the Human Rights Activists News Agency documented at least 6,126 deaths, with estimates ranging from 12,000 to over 36,500.

Updated May 20

Trump threatens military strike as Iran protests turn deadly

Force in Play

Ordered crackdown on protesters, vowed regime won't back down

Iran's judiciary chief announced January 14 that detained protesters face fast-track trials and executions, despite Trump's warning of "very strong action." The death toll hit at least 2,571, per Human Rights Activists News Agency — four times the count from two days earlier and more than any crackdown since 1979.

Updated May 20

Iran's economic collapse ignites regime crisis

Force in Play

Vowing regime will 'not back down' to protests

The Iranian rial lost half its value in six months, prompting merchants—the same traders who toppled the Shah in 1979—to shut down Tehran's Grand Bazaar on December 28. Within two weeks, the strike became the largest uprising since the Islamic Revolution; credible estimates range from 500 to 3,000 dead after a five-day internet blackout, with the IRGC firing live ammunition on crowds.

Updated May 20