After the shah was overthrown in the 1979 revolution, Iran became an Islamic republic. Khamenei was appointed as a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Council, which was put in place to manage the ...

June 2025. More for ...

BBC Tehran Correspondent James Reynolds profiles Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the man who has led Iran with the absolute power of a king for more than 20 years.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei attends a mourning ceremony in Tehran, Iran, on Saturday, July 6, 2025.

Construction scaffolding with a Portrait of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Isfahan, Iran. For a man who has been synonymous with the Islamic Republic of Iran, ruling it with absolute authority ...