Showing posts with label Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Show all posts

Friday, March 06, 2026

Khamenei’s Killing Sparks Anger and Grief in South Asia’s Shiite Muslims

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed during the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, was deeply respected among the millions of Shiite Muslims in Pakistan and India.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was not just the supreme leader of Iran but also a widely respected religious figure among followers of Shiite Islam. In Pakistan and India, both home to millions of Shiites, there was an outpouring of anger and grief after he was killed during U.S.-Israeli strikes on Saturday.

Thousands took to the streets in India and Pakistan, many chanting slogans against the United States and Israel. Some demonstrations spilled into violence in Pakistan, where the authorities say at least 25 people were killed during unrest on Sunday.

Mr. Khamenei, who died at 86, was considered the leader of all Shiites, not just Iran, said Nawab Masood Abdullah, a Shiite community leader in the city of Lucknow in India. “His status is similar to what the Pope means to Christians,” he added.

For more than three decades as Iran’s supreme leader, Mr. Khamenei cultivated the image of a resistance leader who united people opposed to the United States and Israel. For Shiites outside Iran, experts said, Mr. Khamenei symbolized the power of the world’s biggest Shiite country. » | Showkat Nanda, Zia ur-Rehman, Suhasini Raj and Max Kim | Showkat Nanda reported from Srinagar, Zia ur-Rehman from Islamabad, Pakistan, and Suhasini Raj from New Delhi. | Friday, March 6, 2026

Wednesday, March 04, 2026

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s Son Emerges as Leading Choice to Be His Successor

THE NEW YORK TIMES: If Mojtaba Khamenei is chosen by Iran’s senior clerics, it may signal a victory for hard-liners, an analyst said.

The senior clerics responsible for selecting Iran’s next supreme leader met on Tuesday to deliberate, and the son of the slain former leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, emerged as the clear front-runner, according to three Iranian officials familiar with the deliberations.

The officials said that the clerics were considering announcing that the son, Mojtaba Khamenei, would be his father’s successor as early as Wednesday morning but that some had expressed reservations, fearing that it could expose him as a target for the United States and Israel. They spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive internal deliberations.

The clerics, known as the Assembly of Experts, held two virtual meetings one in the morning and one in the evening, according to the officials. Israel struck a building in Qum, one of Shia Islam’s main seats of power, where the assembly was scheduled to meet and elect the new supreme leader, but the building was empty, according to the Fars News agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.

Vali Nasr, an expert of Iran and Shia Islam at Johns Hopkins University, said that Mr. Khamenei would be a surprising choice — and a potentially telling one. » | Farnaz Fassihi | Farnaz Fassihi has lived and worked in Iran, has covered the country for three decades and was a war correspondent in the Middle East for 15 years. | Tuesday, March 3, 2026

Monday, March 02, 2026

‘We Are Orphans’: Shiite Muslims Protest the Killing of Khamenei

Mar 1, 2026 | Shiite Muslims around the world protested the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader and a senior Shiite Muslim cleric. He died on Saturday during U.S. and Israeli attacks on his country. | Nader Ibrahim and Malachy Browne

Watch the NYT video here.

Ali Khamenei Never-before-seen Interview: "The West Does Not Know the Truth about Iran" | 60 Minutes

Mar 2, 2026 | In 1982, 60 Minutes travelled to Iran for a rare and exclusive access to one of the Shah's palaces, transformed into the headquarters of then President Ali Khamenei after the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Ali Khamenei became Supreme Leader in 1989 and led the country until March 2026 when he was killed during an attack by Israel and the United States that hit his compound.

The 1982 60 Minutes programme with George Negus remains the Ayatollah's only one-on-one TV interview with Western media. The interview, conducted with a state-appointed translator, includes portions that have never been broadcasted previously.


Sunday, March 01, 2026

Guerre en Iran: les Iraniens célèbrent la mort de l’ayatollah Khamenei

LE FIGARO : Beaucoup redoutent cependant que l’élimination du guide donne lieu à une fuite en avant répressive du régime.

Le tyran est mort. Et avec lui, la peur est partie. « Je pleure, je pleure de joie ! », s’époumone cette résidente de Téhéran, contactée par messagerie cryptée. C’est la première fois qu’elle ose parler d’Ali Khamenei. Dans sa famille, partisane du régime, on a grandi avec une ligne rouge à ne jamais dépasser. « Le guide suprême était intouchable, une sorte de chef spirituel au-dessus de la mêlée. » Mais l’annonce, samedi soir, de son assassinat, a fait sauter un verrou. « Soudain, je me suis sentie libérée. J’ai grimpé les escaliers et j’ai rejoint les voisins sur le toit pour hurler : “Khamenei, c’est fini !” »

En cette nuit de samedi à dimanche, au terme d’une première journée de frappes israélo-américaines, les petites lumières des téléphones portables ont longtemps brillé dans l’obscurité : sur les balcons, les places publiques, les arrêts de bus, les trottoirs bondés d’hommes, de femmes, d’enfants. « Marg bar Khamenei ! (Mort à Khamenei, NDLR) », jubile l’un d’eux, en répétant le slogan d’usage dans les manifestations, sur une vidéo envoyée d’Ispahan. « Il est mort, mon chéri. Maintenant, tu peux crier “Azadi” (liberté) », lui répond sa mère en explosant de rire. » | Par Delphine Minoui | dimanche 1er mars 2026

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Après la mort d’Ali Khamenei, tué par les frappes en Iran, Vladimir Poutine dénonce une «violation cynique» de «la morale et du droit international»

LE FIGARO : Le président russe a adressé une lettre à son homologue iranien Massoud Pezeshkian, au lendemain de la mort du guide suprême iranien lors de l’attaque menée par les États-Unis et Israël à Téhéran.

Le président russe Vladimir Poutine a dénoncé ce dimanche la mort du guide suprême iranien, Ali Khamenei, tué lors de frappes américaines et israéliennes, qualifiant cet acte de «violation cynique» de « la morale et du droit international ». » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | dimanche 1 mars 2026

Iran Vows to Avenge Leader’s Death as Strikes Continue

THE NEW YORK TIMES: U.S. and Israeli attacks entered a second day as Iran’s surviving leadership said the old guard would remain in control.

The Iranian government vowed on Sunday that it would retaliate for the attacks that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s longtime supreme leader and an implacable enemy of Israel and the United States, as attacks on the country entered a second day.

The Iranian state news agency confirmed the ayatollah’s death on Sunday morning, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps — a powerful institution answering to the supreme leader — said that Iran would avenge him. Ali Larijani, a senior leader and Khamenei confidant, vowed that Iranian forces would fight even harder.

The ayatollah’s death prompted a range of reactions within Iran on Saturday. Large crowds poured into the streets of Tehran and other cities to celebrate the toppling of a leader who had ruled with an iron fist for nearly 37 years. Others mourned him.

The killing is a seismic political shift that raises the prospect of chaos and a power vacuum in an already turbulent region.

The United States and Israel said overnight that they were still attacking Iran. President Trump said on social media that U.S. strikes would continue “throughout the week or, as long as necessary to achieve our objective of PEACE THROUGHOUT THE MIDDLE EAST AND, INDEED, THE WORLD!” Live Updates » | Farnaz Fassihi, Ronen Bergman, Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Aaron Boxerman | Sunday, March 1, 2026

Saturday, February 28, 2026

Is Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Still Alive? | DW News

Feb 28, 2026 | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that evidence has been piling up suggesting Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has been killed in the Israeli strikes this morning.

What We Know So Far: Supreme Leader's Compound Hit and Iran's Retaliatory Strikes

BBC: The US and Israel have launched a large-scale attack on Iran.

President Donald Trump said the US had begun "major combat operations" and urged Iranians to overthrow their clerical rulers once they were complete.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz earlier announced that Israel had launched a "pre-emptive attack" against Iran to remove threats to the country.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the strikes were "wholly unprovoked, illegal, and illegitimate".

His country responded by launching missiles towards Israel and four Gulf Arab countries which host US military bases: Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE.

It came after weeks of threats from Trump that he would order military action if Iran did not agree a new deal over its nuclear programme.

Here's what we know. » | Hafsa Khalil and David Gritten | Saturday, February 28, 2026

Tuesday, February 17, 2026

Iran : le guide suprême menace de couler un porte-avions américain, le détroit d’Ormuz fermé partiellement pendant un exercice militaire

LE FIGARO : « Dans l’un de ses récents discours, le président américain a dit que depuis 47 ans l’Amérique n’a pas réussi à détruire la République islamique... Je vous le dis : vous n’y arriverez pas non plus », a déclaré Ali Khamenei.

Le guide suprême iranien, l'ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a prévenu mardi que le porte-avions américain déployé dans le Golfe pouvait être coulé, au moment où de nouvelles discussions indirectes ont démarré en Suisse entre Washington et Téhéran. En parallèle, les autorités iraniennes ont fait savoir le même jour par agence de presse la tenue d’un exercice militaire restreignant l’accès à certaines parties du détroit d’Ormuz.

« Nous entendons sans cesse dire » que les États-Unis « ont envoyé un navire de guerre vers l’Iran », a déclaré l’ayatollah dans un discours. « Un navire de guerre est certes une arme dangereuse, mais l’arme capable de le couler l’est encore plus », a-t-il insisté. » | Par Le Figaro avec Reuters et AFP | mardi 17 février 2026

Sunday, January 18, 2026

Iran Warns Attack on Khamenei Would Be Declaration of War

THE GUARDIAN: President issues warning amid speculation Donald Trump plans to assassinate or remove supreme leader

Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, warned on Sunday that any attack on the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, would be a declaration of war.

In an apparent response to speculation that Donald Trump is considering an attempt to assassinate or remove Khamenei, Pezeshkian said in a post on X: “An attack on the great leader of our country is tantamount to a full-scale war with the Iranian nation.”

The Iranian president also blamed the US for the protests that have rocked Iran over the last two weeks and led to thousands of deaths among demonstrators.

“If there are hardship and constraints in the lives of the dear people of Iran, one of the main causes is the longstanding hostility and inhumane sanctions imposed by the US government and its allies,” Pezeshkian said.

Trump, in an interview with Politico on Saturday, called for an end to Khamenei’s nearly 40-year reign, calling him “a sick man who should run his country properly and stop killing people”. » | Lorenzo Tondo and Deepa Parent | Sunday, January 18, 2026

Ali Khamenei Says Thousands Killed in Iran Protests, Some in ‘Inhuman, Savage Manner’

THE GUARDIAN: Supreme leader blames US for death toll and calls Donald Trump a criminal for support of demonstrations

The Iranian supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has acknowledged for the first time that thousands of people were killed during the protests that rocked Iran over the last two weeks.

In a speech on Thursday, Khamenei said that thousands of people had been killed, “some in an inhuman, savage manner”, and blamed the US for the death toll. The supreme leader railed against the US president, Donald Trump, whom he called a “criminal” for his support of demonstrations, and called for strict punishment of protesters.

Khamenei said: “By God’s grace, the Iranian nation must break the back of the seditionists just as it broke the back of the sedition.”

Iranian authorities also released a compilation of footage on Saturday that purported to show armed individuals carrying guns and knives alongside regular protesters – evidence, they said, of foreign saboteurs.

Another senior Iranian cleric demanded the execution of protesters, demanding that “armed hypocrites should be put to death”.

He described protesters as “butlers” and “soldiers” of Israel and the US, vowing that neither country should “expect peace”. » | William Christou | Saturday, January 17, 2026

Un article connexe en français est disponible ici.

Saturday, January 17, 2026

Manifestations en Iran : l’ayatollah Khamenei accuse Trump d’être «coupable des victimes»

LE FIGARO : Le guide suprême iranien a vivement mis en cause Donald Trump, l’accusant d’être responsable des morts survenues lors des récentes manifestations en Iran.

Le guide suprême iranien, l’ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a estimé samedi que les autorités devaient «briser le dos des séditieux», imputant les «victimes» au président américain Donald Trump après la répression d’une vague de manifestations contre le pouvoir qui a fait des milliers de morts.

«Nous n’avons pas l’intention de mener le pays à la guerre, mais nous n’épargnerons pas les criminels nationaux (...) pire encore que les criminels nationaux, les criminels internationaux, nous ne les épargnerons pas non plus», a-t-il déclaré à ses partisans à l’occasion d’une fête religieuse. «Par la grâce de Dieu, la nation iranienne doit briser le dos des séditieux, tout comme elle a brisé le dos de la sédition», a-t-il ajouté. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | samedi 17 Janvier 2026

Monday, January 12, 2026

Cette photo parle d'elle-même !


Une capture d'écran du Figaro : Des Iraniens brûlent le portrait de l’ayatollah Khamenei. Toby Melville / REUTERS

Lisez-en plus ici.

Sunday, January 11, 2026

West Hiding Iran Truth? Thousands of Iranians Rally In Favour of Khamenei, Islamic Republic

11 Jan 2026 | Tens of thousands of Iranians poured onto the streets in a dramatic show of loyalty to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, countering days of anti-regime unrest across the country. State television broadcast images of flag-waving crowds chanting pledges to defend the Islamic Republic, framing the demonstrations as a stand against chaos rather than dissent. The rallies come as pressure mounts from Washington, with U.S. President Donald Trump warning Tehran against using force on protesters. Iranian officials have rejected the accusations, blaming foreign interference for inflaming tensions. The scenes underscore Iran’s deep internal divide—and the regime’s ability to mobilise mass support at a critical moment.

Saturday, January 10, 2026

How Vulnerable Is Iran's Regime as Protests Show No Sign of Slowing? | DW News

10 Jan 2026 | Unrest continues to grow in Iran, with street demonstrations raging in cities across the country. Protesters have been publicly calling for the end of the Islamic Republic - as its rulers look more vulnerable than during previous popular uprisings.

The exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi has now called on demonstrators to seize Iranian city centers. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has refused to back down. Authorities blacked out the internet for a second night in a row as rights groups say dozens of people have been killed.


Friday, January 09, 2026

Iran’s Supreme Leader Signals Harsher Crackdown as Protest Movement Swells

THE GUARDIAN: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei calls protesters ‘vandals’ and ‘saboteurs’ and blames the US for instigating the unrest

Iran’s supreme leader has vowed that authorities will “not back down” in the face of growing protests, blaming the US for instigating demonstrations that started over economic conditions and have since expanded to calls for political reform.

In his first speech since the protests started 13 days ago, the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, signalled on Friday that a greater crackdown was coming. He described protesters as “vandals” and “saboteurs”, and accused them of working on behalf of foreign agendas.

Protesters are “ruining their own streets to make the president of another country happy … because he said he would come to their aid”, Khamenei said – a reference to Donald Trump, who has threatened American intervention in Iran if authorities kill protesters.

The US president, in an interview with Fox News on Thursday, suggested the supreme leader was preparing to flee Iran. “He’s looking to go somewhere. It’s getting very bad,” Trump said.

In a separate speech, the head of Iran’s judiciary, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, said consequences for demonstrators would be “decisive, maximum and without any legal leniency”. » | William Christou and Deepa Parent | Friday, January 9, 2026

Khamenei’s Days Numbered? Iran’s Power Elites ‘SECRETLY’ Seek French Exit as Protests Swell | Report

Jan 9, 2026 | Iran is facing one of its most volatile moments in years as a deepening economic crisis and violent anti-government protests shake the country.

According to a report by French daily Le Figaro, senior Iranian officials are quietly seeking French visas for their families, signalling growing panic within the ruling elite. Iranian-French journalist Emmanuel Razavi claims even top reformist leaders, including the speaker of parliament, are involved.

Street unrest has turned deadly, with two police officers killed and dozens of protesters dead. As U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu back protesters, Tehran has issued stern warnings against dissent, underscoring fears of a prolonged internal confrontation.


Sunday, December 07, 2025

«Vous avez vu comment elles font tomber leur voile ?» : Farah Pahlavi, ex-impératrice d’Iran que les mollahs ne sont pas parvenus à écorcher

LE FIGARO : ENTRETIEN - L’ex-impératrice d’Iran, qui a fêté ses 87 ans le 14 octobre, a reçu chez elle Le Figaro Magazine. L’occasion de revenir sur son destin hors du commun… et d’évoquer l’avenir de son pays.

Un appartement parisien, quelques tableaux et des photos de famille soigneusement encadrées. Par les fenêtres, on voit la Seine, indolente, qui roule ses eaux grasses. Un petit chien – Mowgli – accueille les visiteurs. C’est ici que vit en exil la dernière impératrice d’Iran, Farah, 87 ans. La voilà : une silhouette élégante, d’une élégance apaisée qui traverse le temps sans en trahir la gravité. Et ses yeux : on y lit la douceur et la douleur, la tendresse pour ce qui fut et la dignité de ce qui reste. Il y a, dans ce regard-là, tout un monde : non pas celui qui a disparu, mais celui qu’elle continue de porter en silence. On y devine aussi l’espoir tenace d’un autre avenir pour l’Iran.

Car quarante-six ans après son avènement, la République islamique d’Iran vacille, tout au bord du gouffre, frappée de l’extérieur et minée de l’intérieur par la colère de la population, éreintée par la misère, des années de corruption et l’incapacité – ou le refus – du gouvernement d’écouter le peuple et de se réformer. Dans ce pays de 88 millions d’habitants – dont l’âge moyen est de 32 ans –, les deux tiers du territoire sont privés d’eau potable et deux personnes sur trois vivent au-dessous du seuil de pauvreté, malgré la rente pétrolière et gazière du pays. Des coupures d’électricité quotidiennes de plus en plus fréquentes, de plus en plus longues, affectent la vie des entreprises et des institutions, obligées de fermer leurs portes plusieurs jours par semaine. L’inflation s’élève à 50 %. Dans les hôpitaux, la pénurie de médicaments et l’épuisement minent le moral du personnel médical, à bout de forces et de moyens. » | Par Emmanuel Razavi et Jean-Marie Montali, pour Le Figaro Magazine | dimanche 7 décembre 2025

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Friday, November 28, 2025

L’ayatollah Khamenei affirme que l'administration Trump n'est «pas digne» de coopérer avec l'Iran

LE FIGARO : «Un tel gouvernement (les États-Unis) n’est pas digne d’être approché ou de coopérer avec un gouvernement comme la République islamique», a affirmé Khamenei lors d’une allocution télévisée

Le guide suprême iranien l'ayatollah Ali Khamenei a affirmé jeudi soir que le gouvernement américain du président Donald Trump n'était «pas digne» de tout contact ou coopération avec la République islamique. «Les Américains trahissent même leurs alliés : ils protègent le gang criminel qui gouverne la Palestine», a affirmé Khamenei lors d’une allocution télévisée en référence au soutien américain à Israël, ennemi actuel de Téhéran.

«Un tel gouvernement (américain) n’est pas digne d’être approché ou de coopérer avec un gouvernement comme la République islamique», a-t-il ajouté. L’Iran et les États-Unis, ennemis depuis plus de quatre décennies, avaient entamé en avril des négociations sous la médiation du sultanat d’Oman autour du programme nucléaire iranien, objet de tensions avec les pays occidentaux. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | jeudi 27 novembre 2025