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Washington Post
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Things to know about Iran's supreme leader as he faces his greatest test
CAIRO — Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who crushed internal threats repeatedly during more than three decades in power, now faces his greatest challenge yet. His archenemy, Israel, has secured free rein over Iran's skies and is decimating the country's military leadership and nuclear program with its punishing air campaign . It is also threatening his life: Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Khamenei 'cannot continue to exist.'
Fox News
a day ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Everything you need to know about Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, supreme leader of Iran
Print Close By Ruth Marks Eglash Published June 19, 2025 A week after Israel launched a surprise attack on Iran aiming to wipe out its nuclear program, all eyes are now on the country's reclusive supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. On Thursday, following an Iranian missile strike that hit an Israeli hospital, Israel Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement that "Khamenei will be held accountable for his crimes," adding during a visit to one of the impact sites that "a person like that should not exist," later calling him "the modern day Hitler," according to the Times of Israel. Over decades of rule, Khamenei has built an impenetrable circle around him both inside and outside of Iran. Now, with Israel taking out some of his closest aides and senior security figures, as well as significantly weakening its militant Islamic allies across the region, the supreme leader is beginning to look increasingly isolated. IRAN STRIKES MAJOR ISRAELI HOSPITAL AFTER CLAIMING ISRAEL HIT ITS ARAK HEAVY WATER REACTOR "He calls himself a revolutionary, not a diplomat," Dr. Meir Javedanfar, a lecturer in Iran Studies at Reichman University near Tel Aviv who grew up in Tehran, told Fox News Digital, adding that he sees himself as a "revolutionary." On Wednesday, that militancy and determination to stay in power came through in statements by Khamenei, who said the "Iranian nation will not surrender" and "war will be met with war, bombing with bombing, and strike with strike," according to local media reports. Born in 1939 to a religious but modest family in Mashad, eastern Iran, Khamenei was among the Islamist activists who played an instrumental role in the pivotal 1979 revolution to overthrow the U.S.-backed shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. A close ally of Iran's first supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who led the revolution and founded the Islamic Republic, Khamenei emerged as a trusted lieutenant, helping to promote the new regime's concept of religiously-dominated governance. For much of the 1980s, he served as Iran's president, a largely ceremonious role. Additionally, when Khomeini died in 1989, Khamenei, who according to some reports was not yet qualified for the position, rose to become the country's supreme leader. Since then, Khamenei has worked to consolidate his absolute power, tightening his grip on the country's political, military and security apparatus, while cracking down on dissent and taking a firm stand against progressive ideas, the West and Israel. Lisa Daftari, an expert on Iran and editor-in-chief of The Foreign Desk, told Fox News Digital, "Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's rule has been marked by unrelenting brutality and repression, both within Iran and beyond its borders. Under his direct command, the regime has executed hundreds of prisoners in just the past year, including women, and continues to hold the world record for executions and torture. "The state police and notorious 'morality police,' all under Khamenei's control, enforce a severe interpretation of Sharia law, violently suppressing dissent and targeting women and minorities. His apparatus has not only silenced opponents at home through mass arrests, torture, and extrajudicial killings, but has also orchestrated assassinations of dissidents abroad and exported terror across the region." Daftari concluded, "Khamenei's regime is responsible for the deaths of countless Iranians and even Americans, with blood on his hands from both domestic crackdowns and international violence. For almost five decades, Iran has been run as a police state, where fear, surveillance, and systematic human rights abuses are tools of governance and methods of regime survival." FOX NEWS POLL: VOTERS THINK IRAN POSES A REAL THREAT TO US SECURITY, BUT SPLIT ON ISRAEL'S STRIKES Khamenei has also invested heavily in the so-called axis of resistance across the region, including backing the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthi movement in Yemen and other militant militias. Many of these allies, as well as the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, have collapsed over the last year and a half under Israeli military pressure. Inside Iran, Khamenei's conservative-style of leadership has faced challenges over the years, including briefly in 2009 following elections where Khamenei declared victory for the incumbent president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, sparking massive popular demonstrations - with some protestors calling for Khamenei's downfall. Mass protests also broke out in the autumn of 2022 after Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old, died while detained by the morality police for allegedly wearing her headscarf improperly. The protests were brutally put down, with many of those arrested put to death by his regime. However, according to the Council For Foreign Relations, Iran's supreme leader remains "leader for life" under a clerical ruling system that puts him at the head of state and affords him vast control derived from religious authority. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP "When he was a young man, he studied the writings of the founders of Muslim Brotherhood, and always believed in militant Islam," said Javedanfar, adding that he has also "always been anti-Israel to the point of antisemitism." "I think he believes in confronting Israel in every means possible," he said, noting that there are no signs Khamenei is interested in backing down. "I'm sure many people had warned him that supporting Hamas after October 7, and Hezbollah and other groups could bring war to Iran's territory but he obviously, he didn't listen," Javedanfar said. Print Close URL
Fox News
a day ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Everything you need to know about Ayatollah Ali Khamenei , supreme leader of Iran
A week after Israel launched a surprise attack on Iran aiming to wipe out its nuclear program, all eyes are now on the country's reclusive supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. On Thursday, following an Iranian missile strike that hit an Israeli hospital, Israel Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement that "Khamenei will be held accountable for his crimes," adding during a visit to one of the impact sites that "a person like that should not exist," later calling him "the modern day Hitler," according to the Times of Israel. Over decades of rule, Khamenei has built an impenetrable circle around him both inside and outside of Iran. Now, with Israel taking out some of his closest aides and senior security figures, as well as significantly weakening its militant Islamic allies across the region, the supreme leader is beginning to look increasingly isolated. "He calls himself a revolutionary, not a diplomat," Dr. Meir Javedanfar, a lecturer in Iran Studies at Reichman University near Tel Aviv who grew up in Tehran, told Fox News Digital, adding that he sees himself as a "revolutionary." On Wednesday, that militancy and determination to stay in power came through in statements by Khamenei, who said the "Iranian nation will not surrender" and "war will be met with war, bombing with bombing, and strike with strike," according to local media reports. Born in 1939 to a religious but modest family in Mashad, eastern Iran, Khamenei was among the Islamist activists who played an instrumental role in the pivotal 1979 revolution to overthrow the U.S.-backed shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. A close ally of Iran's first supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who led the revolution and founded the Islamic Republic, Khamenei emerged as a trusted lieutenant, helping to promote the new regime's concept of religiously-dominated governance. For much of the 1980s, he served as Iran's president, a largely ceremonious role. Additionally, when Khomeini died in 1989, Khamenei, who according to some reports was not yet qualified for the position, rose to become the country's supreme leader. Since then, Khamenei has worked to consolidate his absolute power, tightening his grip on the country's political, military and security apparatus, while cracking down on dissent and taking a firm stand against progressive ideas, the West and Israel. Lisa Daftari, an expert on Iran and editor-in-chief of The Foreign Desk, told Fox News Digital, "Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's rule has been marked by unrelenting brutality and repression, both within Iran and beyond its borders. Under his direct command, the regime has executed hundreds of prisoners in just the past year, including women, and continues to hold the world record for executions and torture. "The state police and notorious 'morality police,' all under Khamenei's control, enforce a severe interpretation of Sharia law, violently suppressing dissent and targeting women and minorities. His apparatus has not only silenced opponents at home through mass arrests, torture, and extrajudicial killings, but has also orchestrated assassinations of dissidents abroad and exported terror across the region." Daftari concluded, "Khamenei's regime is responsible for the deaths of countless Iranians and even Americans, with blood on his hands from both domestic crackdowns and international violence. For almost five decades, Iran has been run as a police state, where fear, surveillance, and systematic human rights abuses are tools of governance and methods of regime survival." Khamenei has also invested heavily in the so-called axis of resistance across the region, including backing the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthi movement in Yemen and other militant militias. Many of these allies, as well as the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, have collapsed over the last year and a half under Israeli military pressure. Inside Iran, Khamenei's conservative-style of leadership has faced challenges over the years, including briefly in 2009 following elections where Khamenei declared victory for the incumbent president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, sparking massive popular demonstrations - with some protestors calling for Khamenei's downfall. Mass protests also broke out in the autumn of 2022 after Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old, died while detained by the morality police for allegedly wearing her headscarf improperly. The protests were brutally put down, with many of those arrested put to death by his regime. However, according to the Council For Foreign Relations, Iran's supreme leader remains "leader for life" under a clerical ruling system that puts him at the head of state and affords him vast control derived from religious authority. "When he was a young man, he studied the writings of the founders of Muslim Brotherhood, and always believed in militant Islam," said Javedanfar, adding that he has also "always been anti-Israel to the point of antisemitism." "I think he believes in confronting Israel in every means possible," he said, noting that there are no signs Khamenei is interested in backing down. "I'm sure many people had warned him that supporting Hamas after October 7, and Hezbollah and other groups could bring war to Iran's territory but he obviously, he didn't listen," Javedanfar said.
Al Jazeera
a day ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Israel threatens to kill Iran's supreme leader after missile strikes
NewsFeed Israel threatens to kill Iran's supreme leader after missile strikes 'This man absolutely should not continue to exist.' Israel's defence minister threatened to assassinate Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, after Iranian missile strikes across Israel. The missiles injured dozens, damaging a hospital, a high-rise, and several residential buildings.
Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Times
Iran-Israel live: Trump approves plan for US to attack Iran, pending final order
Iran's deputy foreign minister has warned against any direct US involvement in the escalating conflict, saying Iran had 'all the necessary options on the table'. 'If the US wants to actively intervene in support of Israel, Iran will have no other option but to use its tools to teach aggressors a lesson and defend itself … our military decision-makers have all necessary options on the table,' Kazem Gharibabadi said. 'Our recommendation to the US is to at least stand by if they do not wish to stop Israel's aggression.' Israel has struck nuclear facilities, eliminated senior commanders and attacked a state broadcaster, while Tehran has hit back with numerous missile barrages. • Read in full here Israel's Magen David Adom rescue service says that scores of people were injured in Iran's latest missile strikes, 18 of whom were injured 'while running to shelter'. Three people were seriously injured, MDA said. 'An additional 42 people sustained minor injuries from shrapnel and blast trauma, and 18 civilians were injured while running to shelter'. Israel's defence minister has called Iran's attacks a 'war crime' and vowed to hold Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, 'accountable for his crimes'. Israel Katz also said he had instructed Israel's military to intensify attacks in order to 'undermine the ayatollahs' regime'. 'The cowardly Iranian dictator sits in the depths of the fortified bunker and fires aimed shots at hospitals and residential buildings in Israel,' Katz wrote on X. 'These are war crimes of the most serious kind — and Khamenei will be held accountable for his crimes.' Please enable cookies and other technologies to view this content. You can update your cookies preferences any time using privacy manager. He added: 'The prime minister and I have instructed the IDF to increase the intensity of attacks against strategic targets in Iran and against government targets in Tehran in order to remove threats to the State of Israel and undermine the ayatollahs' regime.' Israeli president Isaac Herzog said the Soroka Medical Center, which was hit by an Iranian ballistic missile this morning, was a symbol of harmony between Jews and Arabs. 'A baby in intensive care and his caring mother at his bedside, a dedicated doctor going from patient to patient, an elderly woman in a nursing home — these were the targets of the Iranian missile attack on Israeli citizens this morning,' Herzog wrote on X. He said the hospital in Beersheba was one of the best in Israel. 'The dedicated hospital staff — both Jewish and Arab — work shoulder to shoulder in extraordinary harmony, united in the sacred mission: saving the lives of the residents of the Negev of all religions, beliefs and lifestyles — Jews and Muslims, Israelis and Palestinians alike.' Please enable cookies and other technologies to view this content. You can update your cookies preferences any time using privacy manager. Israel says it has targeted the nuclear reactor in the area of Arak in Iran overnight and struck what it called a nuclear weapons development site in the area of Natanz. Among its nuclear sites, Iran had a partially built heavy water research reactor, originally called Arak and now named Khondab. Heavy water reactors pose a nuclear proliferation risk because they can easily produce plutonium which, like enriched uranium, can be used to make the core of an atom bomb. At Natanz, Iran built a complex that lies at the heart of its nuclear programme. It includes two enrichment plants, and has already been struck in the six days since Israel launched its air war. Itamar Ben Gvir, the Israeli minister of national security who was recently sanctioned by the UK, said that 'Nazis' had launched missiles at hospitals in Israel. Writing on X after a dawn missile attack hit a hospital in the desert city of Beersheba, Ben Gvir said that if Iran had a nuclear weapon, they would fire it 'without even a second thought.' 'Nazis launch missiles at hospitals, the elderly, and children — if they had atomic weapons, they would fire them without even a second's thought. This is the most righteous campaign that Israel has ever embarked on in history,' he said. Ben Gvir belongs to Netanyahu's hardline coalition government and is a leader of the movement to resettle Palestinian lands in the West Bank and Gaza. The UK and other countries imposed sanctions upon him for incitement of violence and abuses of Palestinian rights. By Marc Bennetts in Beersheba An Iranian attack on a hospital in Israel that injured dozens of people was 'criminal' and 'deliberate,' the Israeli government has said. At least 32 people were injured across Israel on Thursday morning in a barrage of ballistic missile strikes. Emergency services said two people were in serious condition, while 30 had less severe blast and shrapnel injuries. The number of casualties at the hospital was unclear. Binyamin Netanyahu has said Israel will 'exact the full price from the tyrants' in his first response to Iran's missile attack on a hospital in southern Israel. 'This morning, Iran's terrorist tyrants launched missiles at Soroka Hospital in Beersheba and at a civilian population in the center of the country,' he wrote on X. 'We will exact the full price from the tyrants' Please enable cookies and other technologies to view this content. You can update your cookies preferences any time using privacy manager. President Trump has told senior aides that he approved plans for a US attack on Iran but was waiting to see if Tehran abandoned its nuclear programme before giving the final order, it has emerged. The Wall Street Journal said that the US military was poised to directly join Israel's war with Iran, pending the president's approval. Trump's separate comments at the White House on Wednesday morning that 'I may do it, I may not do it' confirmed what had been widely reported in the past 24 hours: that the president, who came to power on an electoral platform of ending US involvement in Middle East wars, was considering joining forces with Israel in its bombardment of Iran. Iranian missiles hit a high-rise flat block in Ramat Gan, Tel Aviv, and other sites in central Israel. A hospital in Tel Aviv said it was treating 16 wounded people, three with serious injuries. Israeli paramedics at separate scenes in central and southern Israel said one man, aged 60, was in a serious condition with shrapnel injuries. Magen David Adom, of Israel's ambulance service, said one person was seriously injured and 22 more were 'lightly injured' after an Iranian missile hit a hospital in southern Israel, as well as other locations. The Soroka Medical Centre, the main hospital in Israel's south, has reported 'extensive damage'. Israelis are now permitted to leave shelters in several parts of the country, Israel's military said on Thursday. 'Following the situational assessment, the Home Front Command published that it is now permitted to leave protected spaces in several areas across the country,' the Israel Defence Forces said in a statement. A military official added that 'dozens of ballistic missiles were launched at Israel in the last barrage from Iran'. The US embassy in Qatar has issued an alert temporarily restricting its personnel from accessing the Al Udeid airbase. The base in the desert outside Doha is the largest US military installation in the Middle East. The embassy on Thursday told personnel and US citizens in Qatar to step up vigilance in 'an abundance of caution and in light of ongoing regional hostilities'. Australia has started evacuating almost 3,000 citizens caught up in the conflict. However, efforts had been hampered by missile barrages that made it 'too risky' for civilian aircraft to land in either country, Penny Wong, the foreign minister, said on Thursday. About 1,500 Australians had registered to be evacuated from Iran, while more than 1,200 were seeking to get out of Israel, said Wong. 'There's no capacity for people to get civilian aircraft in, it is too risky, and the airspace is closed,' she told ABC. 'We have taken the opportunity to get a small group of Australians out of Israel through a land border crossing. We are seeking to try and do more of that over the next 24 hours.' New Zealand closed its embassy in Iran, evacuating two staff members and their families to neighbouring Azerbaijan by land. 'If and when opportunities arise to assist the departure of other New Zealanders in Iran and Israel, we will pursue them with urgency,' the foreign minister, Winston Peters, said. Israel has struck an area near a partially built Iranian research reactor, the Iranian Student News Agency (ISNA) said on Thursday. Officials announced that the Khondab heavy-water facility was evacuated before the attack and there was no radiation risk, ISNA added. The research reactor, part of Iran's nuclear programme, was partially built and previously known as Arak. Tehran had informed the UN nuclear watchdog that it planned to operate the facility next year. Israel came under heavy rocket attack at dawn on Thursday as Iranian missiles hit the Soroka hospital in Beersheba, southern Israel. Video posted on social media showed a direct hit on the hospital, with the sound of impact and a mushroom cloud billowing out the top. The emergency room, from pictures posted, appeared to have sustained damage. A spokesman for the hospital reported 'damage to the hospital and extensive damage in various areas. We are currently assessing the damage, including injuries. We ask the public not to come to the hospital at this time.' Reports also indicated that other sites in Tel Aviv and central Israel had been hit. The rocket barrage came after an air-raid siren was sounded at midnight, with that volley causing no damage or injuries. The Israeli military said it was carrying out new strikes on Tehran and other parts of Iran on Thursday morning, telling two villages, Arak and Khondab, to evacuate. 'The Air Force has now begun a wave of strikes in Tehran and other areas in Iran,' the Israel Defence Forces wrote on X. Israel's military said it was 'flying over surface-to-surface missile launch and storage sites … [and] striking those attempting to reactivate sites that have already been hit'. Air-raid sirens sounded across Israel as Iran's state news reported a new wave of missiles fired at the country. Several explosions were reported over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. 'A short while ago, sirens sounded in several areas across Israel following the identification of missiles launched from Iran toward the State of Israel,' the military said in a post on Telegram. Earlier, Israel's military said it had intercepted a drone launched from Iran. An Israeli military official said that Iran had fired about 400 ballistic missiles and 1,000 drones since Friday. About 20 missiles had struck civilian areas in Israel, the official added. Donald Trump was still deciding whether to join Israel's strikes on Iran on Wednesday. Claiming Tehran now wants talks at the White House the US President added they may have waited too long. Trump held his second Situation Room meeting in two days with his national security team, leaving the world guessing about his potential order of military action. 'I may do it, I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do,' Trump told reporters at the unveiling of one of two giant new flagpoles at the White House. 'I can tell you this, that Iran's got a lot of trouble, and they want to negotiate.' He added that 'the next week is going to be very big' when it comes to determining Iran's fate. The White House said Trump would be briefed in the Situation Room again on Thursday, a holiday in the United States. Trump's comments came after the Islamic Republic's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected his demands for an unconditional surrender and warned the United States of 'irreparable damage' if it intervenes.
