Ali Hoseyni Khāmene’i (Persian: سید علی خامنه ای , pronounced [ʔæˈliː hosejˈniː xɒːmeneˈʔiː] ( listen); born 17 July 1939) is an Iranian politician and cleric, as well as the figurehead of the conservative establishment in Iran. He has been the Supreme Leader of Iran since 1989 and was president of Iran from 1981 to 1989. Khamanei’s appointment, as Iran’s Supreme Leader, was approved by Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani,[citation needed] who was the head of newly established Assembly of Experts, few days after Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's death.[citation needed] He has been described[by whom?] as one of only three people having "important influences" on the Islamic Republic of Iran, (the other two being the founder of the republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, and the president of Iran for much of the 1990s, Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani). So far, the biggest challenge to his leadership has been the mass protests following the June 2009 presidential elections, during which more than 100 citizens were killed and nearly four thousand people were arrested. Khamenei, however, continued to strongly support Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's policies and re-election.
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