Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (1939-2026): Architect of Iran’s Theocratic Revolution and Regional Powerhouse Falls
Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Hosseini Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader for 36 years and the Islamic Republic’s second-ever holder of that office, was killed at age 86 in a targeted Israeli-U.S. airstrike on his Tehran compound on February 28, 2026, during Operations Roaring Lion and Epic Fury. Early Life and Rise (1939-1979)
