After World War II, mankind established the United Nations to maintain the world order, allow an organization of equal exchange between large and small countries, and eliminate the jungle rule that large countries have oppressed small countries for thousands of years.
From this point on, the political leaders of small countries, both in the East and in the West, are equal to the leaders of big countries in diplomacy. The diplomatic etiquette of each country is divided only by its position, not by the size of the country.
Take China as an example. When the President of the United States visits China, Chairman Mao receives him in his study. When the Vice Presidents of small African countries visit China, they also sit on the same sofa and talk with Chairman Mao.
However, in the modern world, there is a foreign country where foreign leaders will receive "cold reception" when they visit. This is Iran.
No matter which country's president goes to Iran, when he meets the Supreme Leader Khamenei, he will always sit in the "side seat", and Khamenei will sit in the middle. This scene is often ridiculed by outsiders.
When Putin visited Iran in 2022, the photo of his meeting with Khamenei was called by the West as "the younger generation salutes the elder".
This diplomatic habit of Iran has lasted for decades, as it did from the establishment of the Islamic Republic. As a theocratic country, the president of the country is the leader of the world, and above the president is the supreme religious leader, formerly Khomeini, and later Khamenei.
Khamenei is a student of Khomeini and his designated successor in his later years. He leads the spiritual world of tens of millions of Iranian people and also affects hundreds of millions of Shiite Muslims around the world.
In Iran, Khamenei's power is almost unlimited. He can really decide Iran's foreign policy, dismiss any government officials, or even stop the operation of the government to oust the President.
Iranians have different opinions on Khamenei. People who love him regard him as a god. But because Khamenei, the "earth emperor", has brought his family into Iran's nobility, this papal system has also affected the confidence of the government and people.
So, how did Khamenei become a religious leader in Iran? How prosperous is his family now? In the future, who will the elderly Khamenei pass the seat to?
I
A fan of Khomeini, the head of the Revolutionary Guard
"Black turban, square glasses, always raising one hand to say hello, with a gentle smile on his face". Khamenei's image is more like a kind old man than a leader of a country.
Compared with his predecessor Khomeini's appearance, Khamenei's softness has saved him a lot of favor.
Ayatollah Said Ali Khamenei, as the Shiite "Jamal", the real leader of Iran, is also the leader of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
In his name, the first word "Ayatollah" is a religious position, which is the senior religious title of Shi'ites. The second "Said" means "Saint descendant", that is, descendants of Mohammed.
The lineage of Khamenei is very controversial. The genealogy of their family shows that Khamenei family is the descendant of Ali Ben Hussein, the fourth generation imam.
Khamenei's head is tied with a black turban, which is a privilege of Saint descent. His mentor and former leader Khomeini are also "Said", and also enjoy this honor.
In 1939, Khamenei was born into an Azerbaijani family in Mashhad, Iran, and was the second son of the family.
Since Khamenei is "Said", his family must be closely related to religion. His ancestors were priests for several generations. His grandfather and father were both Ulama (a priest higher than the mullahs), his brother was a mullahs, and his mother was also a member of the priest family.
Therefore, Khamenei was destined not to follow the secular path, but to enter the temple to chant scriptures.
Since his father, Jawad Khamenei, was extremely religious, Khamenei had been exposed to Islam under the guidance of his family since he was 4 years old, learning to read and write while reciting scriptures.
At the age of 15, Khamenei entered Mashhad Theological Seminary for formal study. Four years later, He went to the seminary in the holy city of Qom for further study, where he met Khomeini, the mentor who changed his life.
At that time, Khomeini was already Ayatollah, teaching in Qom and Najaf, and was famous all over the world. Khamenei learned knowledge from Khomeini at the beginning, but he was soon moved by Khomeini's political thought.
Khomeini is a master of combining religion and politics. He proposed to transform Iran with Islamic ideas They opposed the westernization of the Pahlavi Dynasty and built an Islamic Republic, that is, a republic governed by priests and practicing religious law.
This idea was enthusiastically supported by the clerical class because they were almost out of food at that time.
Speaking of it, the clerical class in Iran operates in a very retro way, and the bottom is almost solely supported by farmers. However, Pahlavi's land reform and cultural reform were aimed at liberating farmers, which was a revolution for the clerical group.
As a member of the Holy Family, Khamenei, who has been a priest for generations, must not agree with Pahlavi's reform. He began to follow Khomeini around , led the anti king movement in the early 1960s and was imprisoned several times.
In the 1960s, Khamenei was frequently imprisoned, six in and six out. After Khomeini was expelled, he shouldered the revolutionary responsibility in China. At that time, although his progress in religious knowledge was limited, his ability to organize and fight grew rapidly.
Although there are many talents in Khomeini Group, most of them are religious talents. Few people really work in the front line, so Khomeini attaches great importance to Khamenei and often writes letters to him to encourage him.
In the 1960s and 1970s, Khomeini had been abroad for more than ten years. After he went to France in 1978, he began to frequently release anti Pahlavi rhetoric. At this time, the domestic clerical class was ready to start an uprising.
At the beginning of 1979, King Pahlavi fled and Khomeini returned home. Then he controlled the government by means of thunderbolt and launched his own army and militia to clean up the opposition.
At this time, Khamenei organized a large number of people to serve as bodyguards. The number of this force was uncertain, from dozens in the early days to more than 500 later. The army is known as the "Five Hundred Man Regiment", which is the predecessor of the later famous Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Khamenei himself naturally became the founding head of the Revolutionary Guard.
II
Khomeini changed the edict on his deathbed, and Khamenei counterattacked the superior
In 1979, Iran was transformed into an Islamic Republic, and the government became a republic, but the president had an extra religious authority. The religious power is controlled by "Jamal" Khomeini, and the national law is under the religious law and religious leaders.
As the country has become a religious power, the first president of Iran's new government, Bani Sadr, who insisted on secularization, was deposed by Khomeini shortly after he came to power. Bani Sadr left Europe to save his life.
The second President Rajai was even more unlucky. Only 20 days after taking office, he was killed in the mysterious "explosion at the Prime Minister's Office". He was not only killed, but also 10 senior officials including Prime Minister Bahonel and Defense Minister Namjudu.
The case became a world-famous political pending case when the murderer was not found.
After two presidents left, people in Iran's political arena were in a panic. People who had bad relations with Khomeini made plans early, either to live in seclusion or to go abroad.
Iran then began the general election. Khamenei took part in the general election as the deputy minister of the Ministry of Defense, and became the president with more than 90% of the votes.
At that time, Khamenei was also unlucky. He was assassinated in June 1981, his right arm was blown off, and he became disabled. But the country needs a pillar of support. Khamenei walked to the front of the stage with Khomeini's support.
Coincidentally, Iran and Iraq are fighting the Iran Iraq war. Iranians believe that the death of the president is Iraq's mischief and Saddam Hussein's plot.
Khameneli, who is experienced in fighting, used this hatred to call on the people to fight back against the enemy. He himself followed Khomeini's instructions and formed the "Islamic Revolutionary Guard" , as the direct force of the supreme leader.
Later, Khamenei also served as the commander of the Revolutionary Guard. He put on his military uniform and went to the front line to inspect the troops and take part in commanding the counter attack against Iraq.
In 1982, when Iran had recovered its territory, Khomeini ordered the army to enter Iraq to destroy Saddam Hussein. Although Khamenei and others had muttered, they could only follow the leader's order.
In the end, the Iran Iraq war lasted for eight years, and these are the two terms of office of Khamenei.
Due to the protracted war, Khamenei was questioned during his second term of office - the national economy was weak, military casualties were high, and the gap between the rich and the poor among the people was large. In normal countries, Khamenei will never work.
But in Iran, when Khomeini opened his voice to support Khamenei, all kinds of doubts disappeared.
During the war, Khamenei and the Islamic Guard became increasingly close He promoted all the officers in the army, deployed the war for his own purpose, and paid the pensions of the soldiers who died in battle.
After 1986, there was an atmosphere of peace talks between Iran and Iran. Khomeini insisted on the struggle. It was Khamenei who persuaded the leaders to stop the war that led to a basic ceasefire between Iran and Iran in 1987.
In the same year, Khamenei attended the United Nations General Assembly on behalf of Iran and made a speech on revolution, war and terrorism, which won international acclaim.
Gradually, Khamenei's voice in Iran is growing At this time in China, Khomeini, the leader, was terminally ill.
