What to know about Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the role he played in and outside Iran

NPR | By Linah Mohammad,

Sarah Handel, Scott Detrow

Published March 2, 2026 at 5:03 PM EST

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei died in the bombing of Iran over the weekend. Vali Nasr of Johns Hopkins University talks about Khamenei's role as one of the most influential Shia clerics in the world.

Linah Mohammad

Prior to joining NPR in 2022, Mohammad was a producer on The Washington Post's daily flagship podcast Post Reports, where her work was recognized by multiple awards. She was honored with a Peabody award for her work on an episode on the life of George Floyd.

Sarah Handel

See stories by Sarah Handel

Scott Detrow

Scott Detrow is a White House correspondent for NPR and co-hosts the NPR Politics Podcast.

See stories by Scott Detrow

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