Rahbar

Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Official standard
Incumbent Ali Khamenei since 4 June 1989
Residence	House of Leadership, Tehran
Seat	Tehran, Iran
Appointer	Assembly of Experts
Term length	Life tenure
Inaugural holder	Ruhollah Khomeini
Formation	3 December 1979
Website	Office of the Supreme Leader

The Supreme Leader of Iran (Persian: رهبر معظم ایران‎, translit. rahbar-e mo'azzam-e irān‎), also called the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution (رهبر معظم انقلاب اسلامی, rahbar-e mo'azzam-e enghelāb-e eslāmi), officially in Iran, called the Supreme Leadership Authority (مقام معظم رهبری, maqām mo'azzam rahbari), is the head of state and highest ranking political and religious authority in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The armed forces, judicial system, state television, and other key governmental organizations are under the control of the Supreme Leader of Iran. The current longtime Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, has been issuing decrees and making the final decisions on economy, environment, foreign policy, education, national planning, and everything else in Iran. Khamenei also makes the final decisions on the amount of transparency in elections in Iran, and has fired and reinstated Presidential cabinet appointments. Iran’s regional policy is directly controlled by the office of the Supreme Leader with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ task limited to protocol and ceremonial occasions. All of Iran’s ambassadors to Arab countries, for example, are chosen by the Quds Corps, which directly reports to the Supreme Leader.

This post was established by the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran in accordance with the concept of the Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist. According to the Constitution, the powers of government in the Islamic Republic of Iran are vested in the legislature, the judiciary, and the executive powers, functioning under the supervision of the Absolute Guardianship and the Leadership of the Ummah (Persian: ولایت مطلقه امر و امامت امت‎‎) that refers to the Supreme Leader. The title "Supreme" Leader (Persian: رهبر معظم‎, translit. rahbar-e mo'azzam‎) is often used as a sign of respect; however, this is not found in the Constitution, which simply refers to the "Leader" (رهبر, rahbar).