The rise and fall of Iran’s ruthless and pragmatic Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

The radical cleric took over as supreme leader in 1989 and is likely to be replaced by hardline figuresWhen he appeared in public for the first time in five years in October 2024, Iran’s supreme leader, , had an uncompromising message: Israel “won’t last long”, he told tens of thousands of supporters at a mosque in Tehran in a Friday sermon.“We must stand up against the enemy while strengthening our unwavering faith,” the then-84-year-old told the gathering.