Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

From Khomeini to Khamenei, Iran’s leaders weaponized messianic belief in every war - opinion

For millions of Iranians, the return of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini from his exile in Paris to Tehran marked a messianic moment.

THEN-IRANIAN PRESIDENT Mahmoud Ahmadinejad attends a UN General Assembly meeting on rule of law in 2012.
 Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the last Shah of Iran, speaks during a press conference about the situation in Iran and the need to support Iranians, in Paris, France, June 23, 2025.

Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi launches ‘We Take Back Iran’ system on Mehregan, rallying opposition

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei embraces chief of Hamas's Shura Political Council Mohammed Ismail Darwish in Tehran, February 8, 2025.

Lawyers demand arrest warrants, ICC genocide investigation, into Khamenei, IRGC over role in Oct. 7

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during a meeting in Tehran, Iran, August 24, 2025.

Iran's Supreme Leader says negotiations with US would not be in Tehran's interests


What scares Khamenei most: Iranians and Israelis as allies - opinion

Israeli and Iranian officials met and discussed mutual hopes for peacemaking and collaboration should Tehran experience a regime change.

Supporters of Iran's exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi and pro-Israel demonstrators gather outside the Iranian embassy during a protest in London, Britain, June 22, 2025

Dozens of Mossad women penetrated Iran during 12-Day War- exclusive

The Mossad is poised to intervene if Tehran seems to be trying to use its uranium to move again in the direction of a nuclear weapon.

 A woman's shadow is seen over the Mossad logo (illustrative)

E-3 must see 'snapback' trigger through to the end, ignore Iranian trickery - opinion

KNOW COMMENT: Europe must not fall for the ayatollahs’ bait-and-delay scam and offer Iran yet another opportunity to wiggle off the hook.

IRAN’S SUPREME LEADER Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during a meeting in Tehran on Sunday. He declared that ‘Tehran would never bow’ to US, European, and Zionist pressures, says the writer.

Iran's looming collapse: Dangers of civil war, regional instability

IRAN AFFAIRS: As Iran teeters on the brink of collapse, the country faces the looming threat of civil war and regional instability, with power struggles between rival factions.

IS THE clock ticking for the Islamic Republic regime in Iran? There is a danger that the collapse of the regime could lead to civil war, a new report by the Henry Jackson Society warned.

Khamenei: US issue 'unsolvable,' Iran will never bow down in nuclear standoff

"They want Iran to be obedient to America. The Iranian nation will stand with all of its power against those who have such erroneous expectations," Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was reported as saying.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during a meeting in Tehran, Iran, August 24, 2025.

Iran faces tough choice: Drink from the poisoned chalice or risk more strikes - analysis

Tehran often seemed to try to bluff its way forward, pretending it had lost nothing and was not much weaker in the world's eyes, while demanding "compensation" for the war.

Iran’s Supreme Leader  Ali Khamenei attends a memorial ceremony in Tehran last week for military commanders and scientists killed in the war with Israel in June. Iran is down but not out, says the writer.

Khamenei's advisor: 'New war between Israel and Iran may occur at any time' - report

Seyed Yahya Rahim Safavi, an advisor to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, announced the possibility of renewed conflict between Israel and Iran on Sunday, Persian media reported. 

A person walks on a street near a billboard with a caricature of Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tehran, Iran, August 10, 2025.

Tehran accuses Israel of assasination attempt on Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian

A senior Iranian political official told state media that an IDF strike on an Iranian national security council meeting was an attempt on Pezeshkian's life.

 Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during a meeting with members of the Iranian Navy in Tehran, Iran, May 17, 2025.

Why Iran sees the Zangezur corridor between Armenia-Azerbaijan as an existential threat - analysis

Iran's strong opposition to the US-brokered Armenia-Azerbaijan peace deal highlights regional power struggles, with Tehran fearing loss of strategic influence.

(L-R) Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev, US President Donald Trump, and Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at a trilateral signing event, at the White House, in Washington, D.C., August 8, 2025.

Ali Larijani appointed as secretary of Iran's top security body - Fars news

Larijani is a seasoned conservative and confidant of Khamenei.

Ali Larijani, former chairman of the parliament of Iran, walks after meeting with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri in Beirut, Lebanon November 15, 2024.

Fighting the world, losing the war: IRGC talks big after beatdown by Israel

IRAN AFFAIRS: A wounded tiger is a dangerous beast, and the IRGC, in claiming it was taking on the world, feels backed into a corner.

Here, posters display assassinated military leaders, including IRGC commander-in-chief Hossein Salami (center), in Tehran at the end of June.