Who be Iran Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and how influential im family be?

Di protests wey start bicos of high inflation don now turn to calls make dem end di clerical rule of Iran Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, e don dismiss di protesters as "group of vandals" and "troublemakers" wey just dey try "to please di US president".

"For make evribodi know, di Islamic Republic take power through di blood of several hundred thousand honourable pipo, and e no go back down bicos of pipo wey deny dis," di 86-year-old tok for television address on Friday, 9 January 2026.

Later, for anoda speech wey e give to supporters and dem broadcast am for state TV, Khamenei stand strong again, say Iran "no go hesitate to deal wit destructive elements".

For dis tori, we look at who Iran Supreme Leader be, di kain power wey e get for di kontri, and di role wey im family dey play for Iran politics.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei na di only second supreme leader wey Iran get since di 1979 Islamic revolution, and e don dey for di top job since 1989. Plenty young Iranians never know how life be without am for power.

E dey sit for di middle of complex network of different power centres – e fit block any public policy matter and still hand-pick candidates wey go contest public office.

As head of state and commander-in-chief of di military, including di Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), im position make am extremely powerful.

Dem born am for Mashhad, Iran second biggest city, for 1939.

E be di second pikin among eight children for one religious family. Im papa na mid-level cleric from di Shia branch of Islam, wey be di main sect for Iran.

Im education mainly focus on studying di Quran, and e qualify as cleric when e just reach 11 years old.

But like many religious leaders for dat time, im work no be only spiritual, e still dey political.

As pesin wey sabi tok well, Khamenei join pipo wey dey criticise di Shah of Iran, di king wey later dem overthrow during di Islamic revolution.

For many years, e live underground or dey rot for prison. Shah secret police arrest am six times, and e suffer torture and internal exile.

One year afta di 1979 Islamic revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini appoint am as Friday prayer leader for di capital, Tehran. Later, dem elect am as president for 1981, bifor religious elders choose am for 1989 to replace Ayatollah Khomeini, wey die at di age of 86.

How powerful im pikin Mojtaba be?

Ali Khamenei no dey waka go abroad much, and as dem tok, e dey live simple life for one compound for central Tehran wit im wife.

Dem say e dey enjoy gardening and poetry. For im younger days, e dey smoke, wey no too common for religious leaders for Iran. E bin no fit use of im right hand again afta one assassination attempt for di 1980s.

E and im wife, Mansoureh Khojasteh Baqerzadeh, get six children – four sons and two daughters.

Di Khamenei family no dey appear for public or media much, and official plus confirmed information about di private life of im children dey very limited.

Out of im four sons, Mojtaba, wey be di second, na di most popular because of di influence wey e get and di important role wey e dey play inside im papa inner circle.

Mojtaba attend Alavi High School for Tehran, one school wey di students usually dey include pikin of senior officials for Islamic Republic.

E marry di daughter of Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel, one well-known conservative figure, at a time wen e never bicom cleric and dey plan to start im seminary studies for Qom. E begin formal religious studies for Qom Seminary – di most important Shia seminary for Iran – wen e reach 30 years old.

By di mid-2000s, Mojtaba influence for political matters don dey show clearly, even though media no too dey tok about am.

Mojtaba enter spotlight after di controversial presidential election for 2004, wen Mehdi Karroubi – one prominent candidate – openly accuse am say e interfere behind di scenes to favour Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Karroubi tok dis one for open letter wey e write to Ayatollah Khamenei.

From di 2010s go up, many pipo don see Mojtaba as one of di most powerful pipo for Islamic Republic, and some stories suggest say na im Khamenei prefer make e replace am. But some official sources don deny di claims.

Although Ali Khamenei no be king and no fit just hand over power to im son, Mojtaba get strong influence inside im papa hardline circle, including the powerful office of di Supreme Leader, wey dey overshadow constitutional bodies.

Mustafa Khamenei na di first son for di family. Im wife na di daughter of Azizollah Khoshvaght, one strong conservative traditional cleric.

Both Mustafa and Mojtaba serve for frontline during di Iran-Iraq war for di 1980s.

Ali Khamenei im third son na Masoud, wey e born for 1972. E marry Susan Kharazi, wey be daughter of Mohsen Kharazi, one well-known cleric wey get connection wit di conservative Association of Teachers for Qom Seminary, and sister of Mohammad Sadegh Kharazi, former diplomat wey get reformist leaning.

Masoud Khamenei dey avoid political circle, and small information dey outside about am.

Befor, e don head di office wey dey oversee im papa works and dey act as one key propaganda arm for Ayatollah Khamenei; e also get role for compiling im papa biography and memoirs.

Di last born son, Meysam, born for 1977. Like im three elder brothers, e too be cleric.

Im wife – wey media never mention her name – be daughter of Mahmoud Lolachian, one rich and influential merchant wey dey known say e dey support revolutionary clerics wit money bifor di 1979 revolution.

Meysam don work togeda wit im brother Masoud for di Office for di Preservation and Publication of dia papa works.

Two daughters

Small information dey outside about Khamenei im daughters.

Bushra and Hoda na di two last born for di family, and both of dem born afta di 1979 revolution.

Bushra born for 1980, and e marry Mohammad-Javad Mohammadi Golpayegani, wey be son of Gholamhossein (Mohammad) Mohammadi Golpayegani, di chief of staff for Khamenei im office.

Hoda, be di youngest of di leader pikin dem, born for 1981. She marry Mesbah al-Hoda Bagheri Kani, wey study marketing and also teach for Imam Sadiq University.