Supreme Leader of Iran

The supreme leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, officially styled as the leader of the Islamic Revolution or the leadership of the Islamic jurist by the Iranian Constitution, is the highest political and religious authority in Iran, taking precedence above the president who is the country's de jure head of state. The armed forces, judiciary, state radio and television, and other key government organizations such as the Guardian Council and Expediency Discernment Council are subject to the supreme leader. According to articles 57 and 110 of the Iranian Constitution, the supreme leader supervises the activities of the legislative, judicial, and executive branches and delineates the general policies of the Islamic Republic. The second supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, issued decrees and made the final decisions on the economy, the environment, foreign policy, education, national planning, and other aspects of governance in Iran. Khamenei also made the final decisions on the amount of transparency in elections, and during his rule dismissed and reinstated presidential cabinet appointees. The office was established by the Constitution of Iran in 1979, pursuant to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's concept of the Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist, and is a lifetime appointment. Originally the constitution required the supreme leader to be Marja'-e taqlid, the highest-ranking cleric in the religious laws of Usuli Twelver Shia Islam; however, in 1989 the constitution was amended and simply asked for Islamic "scholarship" to allow the supreme leader to be a lower-ranking cleric. The style "Supreme Leader" (Persian: رهبر معظم, romanized: rahbar-e mo'azzam) is commonly used as a sign of respect although the Constitution designates them simply as "Leader" (رهبر, rahbar). According to the constitution (Article 111), the Assembly of Experts is tasked with electing (following Ayatollah Khomeini), supervising, and dismissing the supreme leader. In practice, the Assembly has never been known to challenge or otherwise publicly oversee any of the supreme leader's decisions (all of its meetings and notes are strictly confidential). Members of the Assembly are elected by people in elections, and are approved by bodies (the Guardian Council) whose members are appointed by the supreme leader or appointed by an individual (Chief Justice of Iran) appointed by the supreme leader. The United Nations list of Heads of State, Heads of Government, and Ministers for Foreign Affairs of all Member States lists the Iranian president as the official de jure head of state and government, rather than the supreme leader himself. The Islamic Republic of Iran has in its history had three supreme leaders: Khomeini, who held the position from 1979 until his death in 1989; Ali Khamenei, who held the position from Khomeini's death until his assassination in 2026; and Khamenei's son Mojtaba Khamenei, who has held the position since 2026.