Iran Mourns Passing of Ayatollah Khamenei, Powerful Leader Who Defined Country's Future

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's most powerful figure for more than three decades, has died at the age of 86. As the country's supreme leader, Khamenei was the final arbiter of all major decisions, from domestic and foreign policy to the economy and military strategy. His passing marks the end of an era for the Islamic Republic, which he helped transform into a major regional power.

Khamenei, who succeeded Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini as Iran's supreme leader in 1989, was the driving force behind the country's hardline Islamic policies and its confrontational stance towards the West. He shaped the Islamic Republic far more profoundly than its founder, Khomeini, steering the country on an increasingly authoritarian and anti-Western course over the past three decades.

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