Ali Hosseini Khamenei (April 19, 1939 – February 28, 2026) was an Iranian Shia cleric and politician who served as supreme leader from 1989 until his assassination in the 2026 Iran war, after being president from 1981 to 1989. His 36-year tenure made him the Middle East’s longest-serving head of state, as Ayatollah and a top Twelver Shi’ism marja.
Before fame
As a kid, he dove into religious classes at the local level and later advanced his studies at Mashhad’s hawza.
Trivia
He launched the Islamic Republic Party in 1979 and became the nation’s second Supreme Leader.
Family life
In 1964, he married Khojaste Bagherzadeh, and they raised six children together.
Assassination
On February 28, 2026, massive U.S. and Israeli missile strikes hit targets across Iran. That day, Reuters cited an unnamed Israeli official saying Khamenei’s body was recovered. Iranian state TV confirmed his death around 5 a.m. IRST the next day, he was assassinated in his office. Two days later, on March 2, his wife Mansoureh Khojasteh Bagherzadeh succumbed to injuries from the strike. Fars News Agency noted he’ll be buried in his birthplace of Mashhad, where his father also passed.