# Ali Khamenei (DD-076) > Ali Khamenei was born on April 19, 1939, in Mashhad and studied at the seminary in Qom, including under Ruhollah Khomeini. From 1963 he took part in protests against the monarchy and was imprisoned several times. After the 1979 revolution he sat on the Revolutionary Council, served as deputy defense minister and was elected president in 1981, a largely ceremonial post at the time; he was reelected in 1985. When Khomeini died in June 1989, the Assembly of Experts chose Khamenei as leader, and a referendum that July loosened the office's clerical qualifications. He held the post for 37 years. On Feb. 28, 2026, he was killed in the opening U.S.-Israeli strikes of the 2026 war with Iran. The Assembly of Experts named his son Mojtaba Khamenei supreme leader on March 8, 2026. - Department: People (also History) - First published: 2026-03-22 - Last updated: 2026-03-22 - Permalink: https://detailenjoyer.com/case/ali-khamenei/ - Author: Marcus Easterling (DetailEnjoyer), The Detail Department ## Status as of Oct. 17, 2026 Deceased (killed Feb. 28, 2026). His son Mojtaba Khamenei has been Iran's supreme leader since March 8, 2026. ## On the timeline - **April 19, 1939**: Ali Khamenei is born in Mashhad - **1979**: After the revolution, Khamenei joins the Revolutionary Council - **October 1981**: Khamenei is elected president of Iran - **June 1989**: After Khomeini's death, the Assembly of Experts chooses Khamenei as leader - **Feb. 28, 2026**: Khamenei is killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes on Tehran - **March 8, 2026**: The Assembly of Experts names Mojtaba Khamenei supreme leader Full timeline: https://detailenjoyer.com/timeline/?case=ali-khamenei ## Quick facts - **DD-076-F01**: Ali Khamenei was Iran's president from 1981 to 1989 and its supreme leader from 1989 until he was killed on Feb. 28, 2026. _(Write-up · Exhibit D (Supreme leader))_ - **DD-076-F02**: His son Mojtaba Khamenei was named Iran's third supreme leader on March 8, 2026. _(Write-up · Exhibit F (Succession))_ ## Write-up Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader for 37 years. President from 1981 to 1989 and leader from 1989 until he was killed in February 2026. 1. **Early life and studies**: Khamenei was born on April 19, 1939, in Mashhad, a major Shiite religious center. He pursued advanced religious studies in Qom under leading scholars, including Ruhollah Khomeini. 2. **Revolutionary years**: From 1963 he took part in protests against the monarchy and was imprisoned several times. After Khomeini returned in 1979, Khamenei joined the Revolutionary Council, became deputy defense minister and briefly commanded the Revolutionary Guard. 3. **President**: He was injured in a 1981 bombing, then elected president in October 1981 and reelected in 1985. At the time the presidency was largely ceremonial, with most executive power held by the prime minister. 4. **Supreme leader**: After Khomeini died in June 1989, Khamenei was chosen as leader even though he was not yet a senior cleric. A July 1989 referendum loosened the qualifications, abolished the prime minister's post and strengthened the leader's powers. He led Iran for 37 years. 5. **Death**: On Feb. 28, 2026, Khamenei was killed in the first wave of U.S. and Israeli strikes on Tehran at the start of the 2026 war. Iranian state bodies describe his death as martyrdom. 6. **Succession**: On March 8, 2026, the Assembly of Experts named his son Mojtaba Khamenei the third supreme leader. As of August 2026, Reuters reported no independently verified public appearance by him since his appointment. ## Related case files - [Nic Mad (DD-068)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/nic-mad/): Another Persons of Interest profile of a head of state removed in 2026: Maduro was captured by U.S. forces in January. - [Ellison (DD-069)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/ellison/): Another Persons of Interest profile, from business rather than politics: Oracle's co-founder. - [The Shah (DD-065)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/the-shah/): Khamenei protested against the shah's monarchy, was imprisoned for it, and became Iran's supreme leader in 1989. - [Iranian Missile Cities (DD-733)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/iranian-missile-cities/): Iran's Supreme Leader, a Persons of Interest profile ## Reel vs. record - **Confirmed**: born in 1939 in Mashhad; studied in Qom, including under Khomeini; active in the movement against the shah; president from 1981 to 1989; supreme leader from 1989 until his death in 2026. [Britannica] - **Missing context**: the Reel, posted March 22, 2026, doesn't say how he died. He was killed on Feb. 28, 2026, in the first U.S.-Israeli strikes on Tehran at the start of the 2026 war. [Britannica; NPR] - **Note**: Now, as of Oct. 17, 2026: his son Mojtaba Khamenei has been supreme leader since the Assembly of Experts named him on March 8, 2026. Reuters reported in August that he had made no independently verified public appearance since. [BBC; Assembly of Experts; Reuters] - **Nuance**: 'appointed Supreme Leader' was a selection by the Assembly of Experts in June 1989. He did not yet hold senior clerical rank, and a July 1989 referendum loosened the qualifications and strengthened the office. [Britannica] - **Context**: 'rose through the new government' included the Revolutionary Council, deputy defense minister and a brief Revolutionary Guard command. His presidency was largely ceremonial; the prime minister then held most executive power. [Britannica] ## Video: Ali Khamenei: Ali Khamenei, Iran's Supreme Leader for 37 Years - Duration: 27.1 s · Published: 2026-03-22 - File: https://detailenjoyer.com/assets/videos/DWMTdrckaFF.mp4 ### Transcript DID YOU KNOW? Ali Khamenei was an Iranian cleric and political leader who served as the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran from 1989 until his death in 2026. Born in 1939 in Mashhad, he studied Shiʿa Islamic theology in Qom and became involved in the revolutionary movement led by Ruhollah Khomeini against the Shah of Iran. After the Iranian Revolution, Khamenei rose through the new government, serving as Iran's president from 1981 to 1989 before being appointed Supreme Leader. NOW YOU KNOW! ## Questions & answers **Q: In which city was Ali Khamenei born?** A: He studied in Qom. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (Early life and studies) · Ali Khamenei (Encyclopaedia Britannica, updated Oct. 17, 2026))_ **Q: Whom did Khamenei study under in Qom?** A: He later joined Khomeini's Revolutionary Council. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (Early life and studies) · Ali Khamenei (Encyclopaedia Britannica, updated Oct. 17, 2026))_ **Q: When was Khamenei first elected president?** A: The post was then largely ceremonial. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit C (President) · Ali Khamenei (Encyclopaedia Britannica, updated Oct. 17, 2026))_ **Q: Which body chose him as leader in 1989?** A: A July 1989 referendum then changed the qualifications. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit D (Supreme leader) · Ali Khamenei (Encyclopaedia Britannica, updated Oct. 17, 2026))_ **Q: Who succeeded Khamenei as supreme leader?** A: He was named on March 8, 2026. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit F (Succession) · Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father as Iran's supreme leader (BBC News, March 8, 2026); Statement of the Assembly of Experts on the appointment of the Third Leader (Office of the Supreme Leader, March 8, 2026); Iran's supreme leader remains invisible six months into an existential war (Reuters, Aug. 28, 2026))_ ## Sources - [Ali Khamenei (Encyclopaedia Britannica, updated Oct. 17, 2026)](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ali-Khamenei) - [Iran names Mojtaba Khamenei as its new supreme leader (NPR, March 8, 2026)](https://www.npr.org/2026/03/08/nx-s1-5741654/israel-iran-oil-ayatollah-successor) - [Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father as Iran's supreme leader (BBC News, March 8, 2026)](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c043260749ko) - [Statement of the Assembly of Experts on the appointment of the Third Leader (Office of the Supreme Leader, March 8, 2026)](https://en.khamenei.ir/news/149368) - [Iran's supreme leader remains invisible six months into an existential war (Reuters, Aug. 28, 2026)](https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/irans-disfigured-supreme-leader-remains-invisible-six-months-into-an-existential-2026-08-28/) ## Cite this case file Easterling, Marcus. "Ali Khamenei." The Detail Department (DetailEnjoyer), case file DD-076, last updated Mar 22, 2026. https://detailenjoyer.com/case/ali-khamenei/