President of Iran / Future Supreme Leader
"We do not negotiate with the United States."
Ali Khamenei served as President of Iran for the entirety of the Iran-Iraq War — from 1981 to 1989 — before becoming Supreme Leader after Khomeini's death, a position he has held for over 35 years. A disciple of Khomeini and one of the founders of the Islamic Republic, Khamenei was the political face of the war effort while Khomeini was its spiritual authority. He survived an assassination attempt in 1981 that left his right hand permanently paralyzed. During the war, he helped mobilize the Basij militia — waves of volunteers, sometimes including young teenagers, who cleared minefields for the regular army. He supported continuing the war well past the point at which Iran had recovered its territory. His experience of the Iran-Iraq War — the isolation, the chemical weapons attacks, the American tilt toward Iraq — shaped his deep distrust of the West and his conviction that Iran must develop self-sufficient military capabilities including nuclear technology.
Did you know?
Khamenei was wounded in his right hand by a bomb planted in a tape recorder during a speech in 1981 — leaving him unable to use his right arm fully for the rest of his life. He was elected President just months after the assassination attempt and served two terms during the entire Iran-Iraq War.
March 22–29, 1982 · 25,000 total casualties
Undeniable Victory shifted the strategic momentum entirely to Iran and marked the point where the war could have ended — but didn't. Khomeini's refusal to accept a ceasefire, his demand for reparations and Saddam's removal, transformed what could have been an honorable Iranian peace into a war of aggression against Iraq. This decision cost Iran hundreds of thousands more lives and ultimately achieved nothing.
February 9–26, 1986 · 30,000 total casualties
The capture of Faw represented Iran's high-water mark in the war. Iran now controlled Iraqi territory and had a potential path to Basra. The threat caused Iraq to dramatically escalate its use of chemical weapons and the US to increase its support for Iraq. Faw was also the operation that proved Human Wave tactics could be replaced by more sophisticated combined-arms approaches.
April 19, 1939
🌅 Birth
Born in Mashhad, Iran
1957–1964
📚 Education
Studied at Qom seminary under Khomeini
June 1981
milestone
Survived assassination — bomb in tape recorder paralyzed right hand
October 1981
milestone
Elected President of Iran; led country through Iran-Iraq War
June 1989
milestone
Became Supreme Leader after Khomeini's death