REPORT: The Death of Ali Khamenei

This mini-report was authored by Daniella Spoto, Policy Fellow 2025-26.

For many Iranians and observers in the diaspora, Khamenei’s 37‑year rule symbolised repression, ideological rigidity, and relentless hostility toward the West. Ali Khamenei, the former supreme leader of Iran spent the last 37 years calling for the death and destruction of Israel and the US, only to be killed on the first day of the war. But who was the man who has shaped Iran into the regime it is today?

Khamenei came to power in 1989 following the death of his predecessor, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, despite not being a marja (a senior clerical authority). His appointment was engineered by political allies who saw him as a figure who could preserve the revolutionary system while being more politically pliable than Khomeini. As Supreme Leader he had absolute authority over the military, judiciary and the entirety of the government.

Khamenei’s path to radicalisation mirrored that of many Iranian leaders; growing up Khamenei had studied under his predecessor at the seminary in the holy city of Qom. Later, he acted as a loyal understudy following Khomeini’s return from exile to lead the 1979 Revolution.

While Khomeini provided the ideological blueprint, it was his student who transformed Iran into a regional power. He undoubtedly fortified the presence of the IRGC through the establishment and dispersion of proxies such as Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis. Hezbollah in particular has previously admitted that almost their entire budget is gifted by the Iranian regime. Despite Iran’s dire economic situation it is estimated that over 1 billion dollars annually is spent funding their wide ranging network of proxies[1]. Indeed, this regional power was also built through the choice of his allies, significantly providing Putin with 2.7 billion dollars worth of missiles alone[2].

Notably, in spite of endless economic sanctions he continuously developed Iran’s nuclear programme. His government grievously breached the terms of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which was created to limit Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief; uranium enrichment reached 20% by January 2021 and 60% by April 2021. Having removed all International Atomic Energy Agency monitoring devices in June 2022, the world lost the insight they needed into the programme’s progress[3]. Iran maintained this programme was necessary for civilian purposes despite enriching uranium past energy utility.

Khamenei’s rule began to crumble last summer as a result of the 12 day war which saw serious damage to nuclear facilities at Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan. Iranian state media claimed that damage was minimal and these facilities would be reconstructed, but for Khamenei this was the beginning of the end.

His domestic authority was maintained through the violent and systematic suppression of dissent. His rule saw repeated waves of protests[4] such as the 1999 student uprising, the 2009 Green Movement., the 2019 fuel protests, the 2022–23 “Woman, Life, Freedom” uprising as well as the most recent protests in January 2026 in which the rising tensions were exacerbated by the economic crisis. Each was met with internet blackouts, mass killings, and public hangings.

For his supporters, Khamenei was the guardian of the Islamic revolution, but for many in Iran and its diaspora Ali Khamenei was a man obsessed with terror; the architect of a bloody dictatorship. Whilst it still remains unclear where his death leaves Iran politically, economically, or culturally there is no doubt that there is renewed hope for those who have long dreamt of a free and democratic Iran.

Sources

[1] https://theins.ru/en/society/268270

[2] https://militarnyi.com/en/blogs/iran-sent-russia-2-7-billion-worth-of-missiles-alone/

[3]https://www.armscontrol.org/factsheets/timeline-nuclear-diplomacy-iran-1967-2023#:~:text=February%201970:%20The%20Iranian%20parliament,Iranian%20nuclear%20projects%20are%20halted.

[4] https://www.dw.com/en/iran-a-timeline-of-mass-protests-since-1999/a-75431588