Iran Holds State Funeral for Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as Son Mojtaba Takes Over amid Ongoing Conflict

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei governed Iran for over three decades, suppressing domestic dissent while expanding the country’s regional influence.

Iran launched a six‑day series of funeral ceremonies for its longtime supreme leader on Saturday. His death, which occurred months earlier, marked the end of a pivotal era in Iranian history. Though he often portrayed himself as above everyday politics, he steadily amassed authority, oversaw severe crackdowns on opposition figures, and cultivated a network of armed proxies that amplified Tehran’s reach across the Middle East.

When Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the Islamic Republic’s inaugural supreme leader, passed away in 1989, Khamenei was chosen as his successor despite lacking the religious seniority typically associated with the role.

The position granted him near‑total control, subordinating all branches of government to his authority, naming him commander‑in‑chief of the armed forces, and giving him oversight of the judiciary.

Despite holding immense power, Khamenei’s public demeanor was often markedly restrained. Former senior U.S. diplomat Jeffrey Feltman, who met with him while serving at the United Nations in 2012, described Khamenei’s “utter lack of charisma” and his “singular, hostile focus on the United States.” “He appeared,” Feltman wrote, “consumed with, and identified by, enmity toward Washington.”

This antagonism became a cornerstone of Iran’s foreign strategy. Khamenei made the support of militant groups a central instrument of Iranian power. Operating largely through the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, he financed and armed Hezbollah in Lebanon, Palestinian factions such as Hamas, Shiite militias in Iraq, and the Houthis in Yemen.

Khamenei could, however, demonstrate tactical flexibility when he judged it necessary for the regime’s interests. During the 2013 nuclear negotiations with the United States and other major powers, he endorsed what he termed “heroic flexibility,” likening diplomacy to a wrestler who bends but never loses sight of the opponent or the goal. This approach paved the way for the 2015 nuclear accord with the Obama administration, a pact later abandoned by President Trump during his first term.

Domestically, though, such flexibility had clear boundaries. Throughout his rule, Khamenei repeatedly thwarted attempts to loosen clerical control and reined in politicians who pursued reformist agendas after electoral victories. When popular movements challenged the government, he treated them as existential threats, backing forceful and often violent suppressions.

His administration crushed the Green Movement following the disputed 2009 presidential election and violently suppressed subsequent protests over economic hardship. In 2022, a sweeping uprising erupted after Mahsa Amini, a 22‑year‑old Kurdish woman, died in the custody of the morality police.

Confronted by mass protests, Khamenei’s security forces killed demonstrators, imprisoned thousands, and切断了通讯以控制动乱。

On February 28, he was killed as U.S.–Israeli strikes pummeled Iran, marking the start of a conflict that remains unresolved. His son Mojtaba was named his successor.

In death, Khamenei’s supporters have hailed him as a leader who safeguarded Iran’s independence and elevated the country to a power that no rival could ignore. Critics, however, view a starkly different legacy: an Iran that is stronger abroad but more fragile domestically, more repressive, and more isolated after decades under his rule.

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