Ali Khamenei (born July 17, 1939) has been the religious leader of Iran since 1989 and is one of the most powerful men in the country. He succeeded Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, as head of state and government.
Khamenei came from a religious family and as a young man was active in the Islamic opposition to the then Iranian Shah. During the 1979 revolution, he played an important role in the establishment of the Islamic Republic and was a member of the Revolutionary Council, which ran the affairs of state during the transition period between the monarchy and the Islamic Republic.
As a religious leader, Khamenei has broad powers and is able to make decisions at all levels of government. He also has control over the Revolutionary Guards, a paramilitary organization that serves as the Islamic Republic's protection force and plays an important role in Iran's political and economic power structure.
As a former president and influential politician, he has worked to promote education and science and has made great efforts to strengthen Iran's independence. He is committed to social justice and economic stability in Iran and has helped transform Iran into one of the leading regional powers. He is also known and respected as a spiritual leader and scholar in the Islamic world.