Who is Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader?
Khamenei is one of Iran's longest-serving leaders. Since becoming supreme leader in 1989, Khamenei has held ultimate authority over all branches of government, the military and the judiciary. While elected officials manage day-to-day affairs, no major policy proceeds without his explicit approval.
Khamenei has held several posts since the Islamic Revolution and the creation of the Islamic Republic. As deputy defence minister and later president throughout much of the 1980s — including most of the Iran-Iraq War — he developed a close relationship with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), a branch of Iran's military established after the Islamic Revolution. In 1981, he was the target of an attempted assassination that paralysed his right arm. When his predecessor Khomeini died in 1989, Khamenei was considered a surprise choice as his successor, given that he lacked both Khomeini's popular appeal and superior clerical credentials. Because he lacked the religious credentials of his predecessor Khomeini, he has repeatedly turned to his sophisticated security structure, the IRGC and the Basij — a paramilitary-religious force of hundreds of thousands of volunteers — to snuff out dissent.
Karim Sadjadpour, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he focuses on Iran and US foreign policy toward the Middle East said "an accident of history" had transformed a "weak president to an initially weak supreme leader to one of the five most powerful Iranians of the last 100 years". He is deeply sceptical of the West, particularly the US, which he accuses of seeking regime change. Yet he has shown a willingness to bend when the survival of the Islamic Republic is at stake. The concept of "heroic flexibility", first mentioned by Khamenei in 2013, allows for tactical compromises to advance his goals, mirroring Khomeini's decision in 1988 to accept a ceasefire after eight years of war with Iraq. Khamenei's guarded endorsement of Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with six world powers was another such moment, as he calculated that sanctions relief was necessary to stabilise the economy and cement his grip on power. His power also owes much to the parastatal financial empire known as Setad, worth tens of billions of dollars, which is under Khamenei's direct control and has grown hugely during his rule.
Billions of dollars have been invested in the IRGC for decades to help them empower Shi'ite militias in Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen and back Syria's former president Bashar al-Assad , whose government was overthrown in 2024. It was the IRGC who crushed the protests that exploded after Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's 2009 re-election as Iranian president amid allegations of vote fraud, which was also criticised by Western countries. In 2022, Khamenei was just as ruthless in arresting, imprisoning or sometimes executing protesters enraged by the death of Amini.
But the current conflict with Israel appears to represent a sudden end to this strategy. Jason Brodsky, policy director of the US-based non-profit United Against Nuclear Iran, said: "He has prided himself on deterring conflict away from Iran's borders since he assumed the supreme leadership in 1989." The scale of Israel's first attacks on Iran last week — which killed key Iranian figures including the army chief and head of the Revolutionary Guards — took the leadership by surprise at a time when it has been on the lookout for any further protests amid economic hardship.
Holly Dagres, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute who specialises in Iranian social movements, said: "Indeed, the strikes have intensified already simmering tensions, and many Iranians want to see the Islamic Republic gone." "Crucially, however, most of them do not want this outcome to come at the cost of bloodshed and war." As Khamenei faces one of the most dangerous moments in the Islamic Republic's history, the so-called "Axis of Resistance" coalition with Iranian-backed militant and political groups across the Middle East to oppose Israeli and US power has also started to unravel. Ever since the Iran-backed Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023, Khamenei's regional influence has been weakening, as Israel has pounded Iran's proxies — from Hamas in Gaza to Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen and militias in Iraq.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
SBS Australia
an hour ago
- SBS Australia
Israeli begins the first stages of its assault on Gaza City
Israeli begins the first stages of its assault on Gaza City.. The final day of the productivity roundtable set to begin, with a focus on budget sustainability and tax reform. Dylan Shiel is set to play one last game for Essendon tonight against Carlton at the MCG. An Israeli military spokesman says Israel has begun the first stages of its planned assault on Gaza City. Israel's military said on Wednesday that it will call up tens of thousands of reservists and extend the service of others ahead of an expanded military operation it will carry out in Gaza City. Defence Minister Israel Katz approved plans to begin a new phase of operations in some of Gaza's most densely populated areas. The plan, which is expected to receive the chief of staff's final approval in the coming days, includes calling up 60,000 reservists and extending the service of 20,000 others who are currently serving. IDF spokesperson Brigadier General Effie Defrin said Israeli forces were already holding the outskirts of Gaza City. "We will deepen the damage to Hamas and Gaza city. A stronghold of governmental and military terror and the terrorist organisation. We will deepen the damage to the terror infrastructure above and below the ground and sever the population's dependence on Hamas." The conflict escalated when Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing roughly 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. More than 62,122 Palestinians have been killed during Israel's offensive, Gaza's Health Ministry said Monday. Russia says it must be part of any discussion on security guarantees for Ukraine, and has downplayed the likelihood of an imminent summit with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, tempering hopes for a quick peace deal. NATO military chiefs held a virtual summit on security guarantees for Ukraine overnight its chair Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone saying it was a great, candid discussion. But Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov earlier warned that seriously discussing security guarantees without its involvement was, in his words, a utopia and a road to nowhere. He also cast doubt on an imminent meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart, saying that any summit between them must be prepared in the most meticulous way so it doesn't deteriorate the situation surrounding the conflict. Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers says participants at the economic roundtable hope to come up with better regulation around home construction, in the final day of the forum in Canberra. The productivity roundtable will today focus on the issues of budget sustainability and tax reform. According to the Productivity Commission, one key issue affecting Australia's productivity is the regulatory burden in the National Construction Code. Dr Chalmers says regulation around building has to become more efficient without compromising standards. "Better regulation, making sure regulation is serving a useful purpose. Making sure approvals can be quicker without ignoring our responsibility to our communities or to the environment, how can we quicken the pace of the approval so that we can build more of the stuff that we want to see in the economy." Independent M-P Allegra Spender says Australia has around 60 per cent of migrants who are not working to their full capacity, and those are in critical areas, such as construction. The Victorian government has announced a child safety overhaul following an independent review that revealed systemic failings, underfunding and outdated practices within the early education sector. Jacinta Allan's government had commissioned the Rapid Child Safety Review after serious allegations of child sexual abuse by former childcare worker Joshua Dale Brown. " This review will reform childcare safety practices, it goes to the hiring of staff, the safety of children reform of the sector. It also builds on the work that we have already taken, to ban personal devices in childcare centres and also to establish a Victorian register (of childcare work)." The report was delivered to the government last week - with 22 recommendations, including strengthening Work with Children Checks, which the report found were not fit for purpose. Victorian Greens spokesperson for Early Childhood Anasina Gray-Barberio says the real test is whether Labor gives a new regulator the independence and funding to hold responsible corporations to account - as that's what Victorian families deserve. Dylan Shiel is set to play one last game for Essendon tonight with the veteran named to face Carlton at the M-C-G. The AFL's Gettable reported that Shiel will not be at the Bombers next season, in what has been a mutual decision between the player and the club to part ways. The 32-year-old may play on next season if he can find another suitor. Shiel, who missed last week's loss to St Kilda due to suspension, has been recalled to face the Blues alongside skipper Zach Merrett, who will celebrate his 250th AFL game.
ABC News
3 hours ago
- ABC News
As the IDF begins its invasion of Gaza City, tensions with the Netanyahu government are at an all-time high
In the days after October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched its deadly attacks on Israel, hundreds of thousands of Israeli reservists up-ended their lives to answer the call. People abandoned holidays and honeymoons, left their jobs and studies abroad and scrambled to get flights back to Israel. In some units, the turnout rate reached up to 150 per cent, with many reservists showing up for duty despite not receiving formal orders to do so. One of those was Jonathan Kadmon, who served as a medic in Gaza during the first three months of the war. "I'm not a big fan of the IDF, but after October 7, I think it's one of the very few times that I took my uniform and I heartfully and purposely knew where I was going," he told the ABC. "And that's because of those attacks of October 7, and the fact that [Hamas] had, at the time, about 250 hostages." Having served in Gaza in 2008 and 2014, Mr Kadmon had some idea what to expect — but was still shocked by the scale of the destruction. "We knew the place would be ruined, but I think it's still very different to walk the scorched earth and the streets of this ruined city," he said. "I understand the operational need for it, because we have hostages inside … [but] you also hope that someone is factoring in the collateral damage. As the war dragged on, Mr Kadmon's views shifted significantly, and he decided he could no longer serve in a war he believed was being fought for the wrong reasons. "I think I feel the way that most of the public feel this at the moment, which is it's not needed and this is being done for political reasons," he said. "And the political reason is the self-preservation of the Netanyahu government which is being extorted by the right wing, the extremist right wing, [National Security Minister Itamar] Ben-Gvir and [Finance Minister Bezalel] Smotrich." Fellow reservist Dana, who didn't want to use her last name because she has been serving in the defence intelligence division, said her views had also changed over the course of the war. She was overseas when the October 7 attacks happened and quickly rushed to return to Israel. "In the beginning of the war I was proactively trying to do more," she told the ABC. "For a lot of people, the most overwhelming feeling was a grave feeling of helplessness, and being proactive made you feel less passive. There was a collective shock, and not doing anything made you feel helpless." She said while she is not generally pro-war, she initially saw this conflict as a "just war". "I'm not an idealistic person, I'm a realistic person, and there was a need to react … especially after such brutality," she said. Earlier this year, after Israel broke the most recent ceasefire, Dana decided she could no longer continue to be an IDF reservist. She now believes a deal is the only option. "But anyone who's talking about winning the war is a bit out of touch with reality. Israel lost the war on October 7, what needs to be done now is to cut losses." Their views reflect a widespread mood shift among many Israeli reservists and soldiers, just as Israel calls up 60,000 reservists as part of its campaign to take over Gaza City. In April, thousands of reservists signed letters demanding that the government stop the fighting and instead focus on reaching a deal to bring back the hostages being held in Gaza. Last June, 41 officers and reservists sent a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz accusing the government of waging an "unnecessary, eternal war" in Gaza and announcing they would no longer take part in it. According to Israel's national broadcaster Kan, only 60 per cent of soldiers are now showing up for reserve duty — roughly half of the 120 per cent recorded in the early days of the war. "They're voting with their feet by not going," Mr Kadmon said. "We have people who've been incarcerated or detained for not showing up or refusing … and I don't see anything the government is doing to convince them." The IDF told the ABC it saw "great importance" in reserve service, adding that each case of absence or refusal would be examined and handled on its own merits by commanders. "In this challenging security reality, the contribution of the reservists is essential to the success of missions and to maintaining the security of the country," the IDF said in a statement. It's not just the rank and file where there's an increasing opposition to the conflict. Dissent is also growing in the upper echelons of the IDF. As Israel's military begins what could be the most dangerous phase of the war yet, tensions between its leadership and the Netanyahu government have hit an all-time high. After reportedly pushing back against a plan to expand the war and conquer Gaza City, the Israeli military's chief of staff, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, has since approved the government's general outline for the offensive. But there's growing speculation he may not be around to lead it. According to multiple media reports, General Zamir — who was hand-picked by Mr Netanyahu less than six months ago — was concerned about the exhaustion and fitness of reservists, and feared such an offensive would risk the lives of the Israeli hostages. Despite these concerns, the Netanyahu government's security cabinet approved the plan anyway. General Zamir defended what he described as a "culture of debate" within the military, releasing a statement which read: "We will continue to express our position without fear — in a matter-of-fact, independent and professional manner … Here lies the responsibility, at this very table." But his appetite for debate has drawn the ire of several members of Mr Netanyahu's cabinet, including Mr Katz and Mr Ben-Gvir. After he selected more than 20 officers for promotion without having first consulted Mr Katz, that rift intensified. Mr Katz accused General Zamir of consulting with former officials and other outsiders opposed to the Netanyahu government, with the far-right minister Mr Ben-Gvir saying that if the general continued to do so, he "needs to be fired". Benjamin Netanyahu's son Yari also publicly accused him of "mutiny", and of leading a "coup and rebellion" against his father. Those developments came after 19 former defence chiefs issued a joint video message calling for an end to the war in Gaza. In the video, the group of retired IDF chiefs of staff, intelligence chiefs, Shin Bet and Mossad directors and police commissioners argued that Israel has suffered more losses than victories, and that the war was dragging on for political reasons rather than military ones. Professor Yagil Levy from the Open University of Israel described the current situation in The Guardian as the "most severe crisis in the history of relations between the political echelon and the military since the 1948 war". "Never before has the political leadership compelled the military to execute an operation it adamantly opposed," he said. There's increasing speculation the Israeli military's top commander could be the latest high-profile departure from the country's military and intelligence leadership since the October 7 attacks. Throughout the conflict, Mr Netanyahu has repeatedly clashed with generals and security chiefs over their handling of the war, leaving a trail of resignations and sackings. In April 2024, the head of the Military Intelligence Directorate, Major General Aharon Haliva, was the first senior official to resign over the failure to prevent the October 7 attacks. Two months later, Brigadier General Avi Rosenfeld, the commander of the Gaza Division, also resigned, citing a failure to protect military bases and communities at the time. In July that year, the head of domestic intelligence agency Shin Bet's Southern District quit his position too, saying he felt "a personal and moral obligation to ask for forgiveness from all those whose loved ones were murdered, whose children fell in battle, who were taken hostage and returned to Israel and those who are still held in captivity by the enemy". A month later, Brigadier General Yossi Sariel from Unit 8200 and an intelligence officer in the Gaza division both resigned over intelligence failures on October 7. In November 2024, then-defence minister Yoav Gallant was fired by Mr Netanyahu, citing a "crisis of trust" over the war. He had long called for a public inquiry into the October 7 failures. In January this year, the Head of the Southern Command, Major General Yaron Finkelman, announced his resignation, alongside IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi — citing the "terrible failure" of security and intelligence related to Hamas's attack. In March, Major General Oded Basiuk, chief of the IDF's Operations Directorate, resigned after an investigation into October 7 failures. IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari also retired from the military — a move widely seen as a dismissal. That same month, Ronen Bar, the head of intelligence agency Shin Bet, tendered his resignation after weeks of tension with Mr Netanyahu, citing personal responsibility for the agency's failure to prevent the October 7 attacks. Over 22 months, a string of senior officials have taken responsibility for the failings that led to October 7. Notably absent is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Critics of Mr Netanyahu argue he's deliberately prolonging the war — and the return of the hostages — in order to preserve his coalition and stay in power, primarily to avoid facing his long-running corruption trials. They say that in doing so, he is prioritising his own political survival over the actual survival of IDF personnel, the hostages and Palestinian civilians. The next phase of the war promises to be dangerous and deadly, and General Zamir is not alone in questioning its military objective. Much of Hamas's senior leadership has been wiped out and it is now using guerilla-style tactics, adding to the risk of an expanded campaign in an urban environment like Gaza City. As Ian Parmeter from the ANU's Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies writes in The Conversation: "Hamas will be able to use its vast tunnel network to mount surprise attacks on Israeli soldiers and place booby-traps in buildings. As such, Netanyahu's plan will inevitably lead to more IDF casualties. "Moreover, taking full control of the strip would take months to complete and lead to countless more Palestinian civilian deaths." With a dwindling number of reservists willing to return to Gaza, there are major questions about whether Israel even has the ability to carry out such an operation.
ABC News
11 hours ago
- ABC News
Australia defends Anthony Albanese after Israeli leader's attacks
The Federal Government has hit back at Israeli Prime Minister after he called Anthony Albanese a weak politician who had "abandoned Australia's jews". Political Editor Jacob Greber has more.
