On 16 January 1979, the Shah fled Iran, leaving behind a collapsing monarchy and a revolutionary tide that would reshape the Middle East. From that upheaval emerged a new political order, an Islamic Republic built on the doctrine of clerical rule. Nearly half a century later, the system created in revolution has been shaken by another upheaval, one that ended with the death of the man who embodied it for more than three decades.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s second Supreme Leader, rose from the ranks of revolutionary clerics to become the most powerful figure in the Islamic Republic. He survived assassination attempts, war, sanctions and repeated waves of protest. He outlasted presidents at home and adversaries abroad. In the end, however, it was war with the United States and Israel, the very confrontation that had defined much of his rule, that brought it to a close.
