Born to Javad Khamenei, an Alim and Mujtahid born in Najaf, Iraq, and Khadijeh Mirdamadi (daughter of Hashem Mirdamadi) in 展开

Khamenei has fired and reinstated presidential cabinet appointments. Iran's Chief Justice Sadeq Larijani, a Khamenei appointee, has warned the president of Iran against voicing opposition to Khamenei.
Election as Supreme … 展开

Some regard Khamenei as the figurehead of the country's conservative establishment. Khamenei supported Mesbah Yazdi, … 展开

Critics have accused Khamenei of overseeing the assassination of as many as 160 exiled defectors worldwide, the heavy-handed repression of protesters, the killings of tens of … 展开

Khamenei was a key figure in the Iranian Revolution in Iran and a close confidant of Ruhollah Khomeini. Since the founding of the Islamic Republic, Khamenei has held many government posts. Muhammad Sahimi claims that his political career began after the Iranian … 展开

Khamenei has "direct responsibility" for foreign policy, which "cannot be conducted without his direct involvement and approval". He has a foreign policy team independent of the president's "which includes two former foreign ministers" and "can at any time of his … 展开

Family
Khamenei is married to Mansoureh Khojasteh Bagherzadeh, with whom he has six children; four sons (Mostafa, Mojtaba, 展开