Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader for 36 years, was killed at age 86 during air strikes by Israel and the US that targeted his compound in Tehran. Initially seen as an unlikely leader, Khamenei consolidated power and maintained a hardline stance against the US, particularly after the 2018 withdrawal from the nuclear deal. His regime faced significant domestic unrest, where he employed severe tactics to suppress dissent, including a crackdown following the 2022 protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini.
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