Born: Mashad, 15 July, 1939

Sayyed Ali Khamene'i was born in Mashad, the holiest city, in the north-eastern province of Khorasan, in 1939. Both his parents belonged to clergy's families and spent the year 1964, he achieved the highest degrees in his theological studies at the Theological Academy of Qum but continued his studies at the Theological Academy at Mashad up to the age of twenty-nine.

Ayatullah Sayyid Ali Khamene'i proved a worthy student of Iman Khomeini: Joined his Islamic movement in 1962 and was imprisoned and exiled several times between 1963 and 1978 for his active role in organising the masses aganist the Pahlavi regime.

A list of some of his active posts, since the sucess of the Revolution, shows the confidence Imam Khomeini had in him:

• March 1979 - Member of the Revolutionary Council
• August 1979 - Commander of the Revolutionary Guards
• January 1980 - Friday Prayer Leader, Tehran
• March 1980 - Member of Majlis from Tehran
• September 1981 - Secretary General, Hizb Jamhouri Islami

On June 27, 1981, he was seriously injured by a bomb planted by MKO terrorist, and his right arm was disabled. He was elected President of the Islamic Republic of Iran in October of 1981 and got re-elected in August 1985.