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NDTV
a day ago
- Politics
- NDTV
House Of Iran's 1st Supreme Leader That Stands Bereft Of Grandeur In Tehran
A narrow lane leads to a modest single-story house in Tehran that was once the abode of Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini. Khomeini spearheaded the Islamic Revolution in Iran and went on to become the first Supreme Leader in 1979. His successor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is the current Supreme Leader of Iran, the highest political and religious position in the country. The former Iranian leader's house in the Husayniyeh Jamaran area stands bereft of any grandeur, in stark contrast to the house of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the former ruler who inclined towards the West and was deposed by Khomenei. This building belonged to Hujjal al-Islam Sayyid Mahdi Imam Jamah, who had offered the building to Imam Khomenei for free, as read a plaque outside the house. But a humble Khamenei still paid him a thousand riyals. A narrow entrance opens to a courtyard where a portrait of Khomenei hangs. There are two rooms: one of which is a sitting room boasting a small sofa and white curtains. A microphone still rests on the table next to it. At this house known which stood out for its Egyptian decorations, Imam Khomenei received government officials as well as other visitors. Khomenei's wife, Khadijeh Saqafi, also lived here with him. A temporary passage was built to connect the house with the Husayniyeh, a hall where he met his supporters and gave sermons. The walls of the hall lacked any grandeur, with it being a popular belief that the Imam never liked spending people's money on himself. Supporters reportedly had offered to put tiles there, but he had refused. Iran-Israel Conflict The house is back in focus as Imam Khomenei's successor Ali Khamenei leads Iran in a bitter conflict with Israel to push its nuclear ambition. "The Iranian nation will stand firmly against any imposed war, just as it always has. The Iranian nation also firmly stands against any imposed peace. The Iranian nation will not capitulate to anyone in the face of coercion," he declared in a televised speech yesterday. His assertion came as Iran and Israel traded missiles for the seventh straight day, threatening to worsen the Middle East crisis. Israel sees Iran as an existential threat and has vowed not to allow Iran to achieve nuclear power. Iran, however, insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only. However, in recent years, Tehran has been enriching uranium to up to 60% purity, which is not far from weapons-grade levels of 90%.
NDTV
2 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
Iran's First Supreme Leader's Ancestors Lived In This Indian Village
Gripped in a bitter flareup in the Middle East crisis, the Islamic regime in Iran has vowed not to yield to US pressure and Israeli missiles. But it is little known that the founder of the regime, a high-ranking cleric in Tehran, traces his roots to a nondescript village in India. Ayatollah Ruhollah Musavi Khomenei spearheaded the Islamic Revolution in Iran and went on to become its first Supreme Leader in 1979. His grandfather, Syed Ahmed Musavi, was born in Kintoor village near Barabanki in the early 19th century. Kintoor has been a seat of Shia scholarship. He later moved to Najaf in Iraq and finally settled in Khomein city of Iran in 1834. Here began his family's quest for religious and political power. Musavi retained his title 'Hindi' that is also present in Iranian records and bears a testament to his ancestry. Musavi is believed to be the driving force behind Khomenei's interest in spirituality that changed the polity of Iran a century later. Who was Ayatollah Khomenei? Ayatollah Khomeini was the leader of Iran's Islamic Revolution in 1979. He deposed Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the pro-Western former Shah of Iran, in 1979 and established the Islamic Republic of Iran. He went on to become the first Supreme Leader of Iran. He died in 1989. Khomenei is believed to be a humble leader who lived in a modest single-story house in Tehran even after rising to the highest political and religious position in Iran. His house stands bereft of any grandeur even today, in stark contrast to the house of Pahlavi. The house was offered to him by Sayyid Mahdi Imam Jamah for free, but Khamenei still paid him a thousand riyals. It stands out for its Egyptian decorations and boasts two small rooms, with a passenger later being built to connect it to the hall where he met his supporters and gave sermons. The Imam likely never wanted people to spend money on his luxury. Supporters had offered to put tiles on the walls of his house, but he had refused public money for his own house's decorations. Khomenei's Successor Khomenei's successor, Ali Khamenei, now leads Iran. In a televised address yesterday, he declared that Tehran will not yield despite the US pressure and Israeli missiles. His assertion came as Iran and Israel traded missiles for the seventh straight day. Israel sees Iran as an existential threat and has vowed not to allow Iran to achieve nuclear power. Iran, however, insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only. In recent years, Tehran has been enriching uranium to up to 60% purity - near weapons-grade levels of 90%.
