Supreme Leader of Iran

"Rahbar" redirects here. For other uses, see Rahbar (disambiguation).
Supreme Leader of the
Islamic Republic of Iran
رهبر معظم انقلاب اسلامی ایران (Persian)
Emblem of Iran
Flag of Iran
Incumbent
Ali Khamenei
since 4 June 1989
Office of the Supreme Leader
TypeHead of state
Commander-in-chief
ResidenceHouse of Leadership
SeatTehran
AppointerAssembly of Experts
Term lengthLife tenure[1]
Constituting instrumentConstitution of Iran
PrecursorShah of Iran
Formation3 December 1979
First holderRuhollah Khomeini
Websitewww.leader.ir
Politics of Iran
Government of Islamic Republic of Iran
Leadership
Executive
Legislative
Judicial
Supreme Councils
Local governments
Elections
Political parties and factions
Inside government
Reformists
Principlists
Outside government
Monarchism
Liberalism
Nationalism
Pan-Iranism
Socialism
Intellectual backdrop
Foreign relations
Related topics

The supreme leader of Iran,[note 1] also referred to as Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution,[2][note 2] but officially called the Supreme Leadership Authority,[note 3] is the head of state and the highest political and religious authority of the Islamic Republic of Iran (above the president). 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.[3][4] According to the constitution, the Supreme Leader delineates the general policies of the Islamic Republic (article 110), supervising the legislature, the judiciary, and the executive branches (article 57).[5] The current lifetime officeholder, Seyyed Ali Hosseini Khameneh known as Ali Khamenei, has issued decrees and made the final decisions on the economy, the environment, foreign policy, education, national planning, and other aspects of governance in Iran.[6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] Khamenei also makes the final decisions on the amount of transparency in elections,[14] and has dismissed and reinstated presidential cabinet appointees.[15]

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,[16] and is a lifetime appointment.[17] 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. In 1989, however, the constitution was amended and simply asked for Islamic "scholarship" to allow the Supreme Leader to be a lower-ranking cleric.[18][19] As the Guardian Jurist (Vali-ye faqih), the Supreme Leader guides the country, protecting it from heresy and imperialist predations, and ensuring the laws of Islam are followed. 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[20] (all of its meetings and notes are strictly confidential).[21] Members of the Assembly are chosen 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.

In its history, the Islamic Republic of Iran has had only two Supreme Leaders: Khomeini, who held the position from 1979 until his death in 1989 and Ali Khamenei, who has held the position for more than 30 years since Khomeini's death.

  1. ^ "Iran's possible next Supreme Leader being examined: Rafsanjani". Reuters. 13 December 2015. Archived from the original on 16 December 2015. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  2. ^ Article 89-91, Iranian Constitution
  3. ^ "Who's in Charge?" by Ervand Abrahamian London Review of Books, 6 November 2008
  4. ^ mshabani (23 October 2017). "Did Khamenei block Rouhani's science minister?". Archived from the original on 24 October 2017.
  5. ^ "Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran (full text)". 2 June 2021. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  6. ^ "Iran's Khamenei hits out at Rafsanjani in rare public rebuke". Middle East Eye. Archived from the original on 4 April 2016. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
  7. ^ "Khamenei says Iran must go green - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East". Al-Monitor. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015.
  8. ^ Louis Charbonneau and Parisa Hafezi (16 May 2014). "Exclusive: Iran pursues ballistic missile work, complicating nuclear talks". Reuters. Archived from the original on 31 July 2017. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
  9. ^ "IranWire - Asking for a Miracle: Khamenei's Economic Plan". Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  10. ^ kjenson (22 May 2014). "Khamenei outlines 14-point plan to increase population". Archived from the original on 1 August 2017.
  11. ^ "Iran: Executive, legislative branch officials endorse privatisation plan". Archived from the original on 5 January 2017. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
  12. ^ "Khamenei slams Rouhani as Iran's regime adopted UN education agenda". 8 May 2017. Archived from the original on 31 May 2017. Retrieved 3 June 2017.
  13. ^ Al-awsat, Asharq (25 September 2017). "Khamenei Orders New Supervisory Body to Curtail Government - ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive". Archived from the original on 10 October 2017. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  14. ^ "Leader outlines elections guidelines, calls for transparency". 15 October 2016. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
  15. ^ "BBC NEWS - Middle East - Iranian vice-president 'sacked'". 25 July 2009. Archived from the original on 3 October 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
  16. ^ Article 5, Iranian Constitution
  17. ^ "Iran's possible next Supreme Leader being examined: Rafsanjani". Reuters. 13 December 2015. Archived from the original on 16 December 2015. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  18. ^ Moin, Baqer, Khomeini, (2001), p.293
  19. ^ "Article 109 [Leadership Qualifications]
    (1) Following are the essential qualifications and conditions for the Leader:
    a. Scholarship, as required for performing the functions of the religious leader in different fields.
  20. ^ Cite error: The named reference brookings-AoE was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  21. ^ "Iran Announces Second Extension of Voting," Reuters, 23 October 1998. quoted in Wright, Robin (2001). The Last Great Revolution: Turmoil and Transformation in Iran. Knopf Doubleday Group. p. 317 note 26. ISBN 9780307766076. Retrieved 13 October 2022.


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