Protest in Iran

Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (sitting on the chair), Ali Khamenei (center), and Khomeini's son, Ahmad Khomeini (left), in a photograph from 1981. Wikimedia Commons.

Researcher on Khamenei's legacy: "Most Iranians will not remember him as a strong leader"

Andrew Thomas from Australia argues that Ali Khamenei's 36 years of rule have given him almost unlimited power, but have left behind a weakened regime, a divided Iranian society and a deep erosion of the republic's legitimacy.