Khamenei’s 37-year rule remains uncompromising amid renewed protests

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader for 37 years, reportedly retreated to a bunker beneath his Tehran compound during a 12-day war with Israel and the United States last June, and his response to the recent nationwide protests has been described as consistent with a long-standing, uncompromising approach.

Analysts say Khamenei has built a static, authoritarian system anchored in two ideological fixations: refusal of political or social changes that might dilute regime power, and implacable enmity toward the United States. Sanam Vakil of Chatham House said, “He is an obstructionist; I do not see him late in life compromising on ideology and his legacy.” For more than 25 years, each round of nationwide protests has been met with ever more brutal repression: thousands of protesters have been shot dead, imprisoned and at times executed, and the latest killings and the anticipated start of hangings after summary trials prompted President Trump to threaten American military intervention.

The protests have slowed in recent days, but analysts said the U.S. threat created a dilemma for Khamenei and his enforcers: escalating repression could prompt an American attack, while allowing the protests to grow could pose a real challenge. The unrest has weakened the regime though not fatally; analysts estimate roughly 20 percent of the 61 million electorate remain hard-core supporters, while most Iranians view the supreme leader as a corrupt, murderous dictator.

Key Topics

World, Ali Khamenei, Iran, Protests, Women Life Freedom, Revolutionary Guards Corps