This resource aims to contextualize Ayatollah Khamenei’s role in Iran’s emergence as a major source of instability in the Middle East. Motivated by the need for political survival, Khamenei has resisted calls for domestic reform and international cooperation. Despite failing to deliver promised benefits to the citizens of Iran, he has managed to maintain his grip on power in the face of growing unrest, largely by enhancing the role of the IRGC. Among all figures, Khamenei is responsible for Iran’s dismal human rights record, economic corruption and mismanagement, support for terrorism and sectarian conflict, and its pursuit of an illicit nuclear program.