Did You Know Iran’s Supreme Leader Has A Connection With India’s Uttar Pradesh?
Ayatollah Khomeini led Iran's Islamic Revolution in 1979 and deposed the pro-Western former Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
It’s the seventh day of the Middle Eastern crisis, and the Islamic regime in Iran has affirmed not yield to Israeli missiles and US pressure. Amid this, an underrated information about the founder of the regime, a first-rate cleric in Tehran’s origins, can be traced back to a drab Indian village. Ayatollah Ruhollah Musavi Khomenei, the head of the Islamic revolution in Iran, became its first Supreme Leader in 1979. Syed Ahmed Musavi, his grandfather, was born in Kantoor village, a seat of Shia scholarship, near Barabanki in the early 19th century.
More On Syed Ahmed Musavi
Musavi went to Najaf in Iraq, and eventually settled in Khomein city of Iran in 1834. This is where his family’s quest for religion and political power began. He kept his title ‘Hindi’ as presented in the Iranian records and bears a testimony to his ancestry. Musavi is also believed to be the key force behind Khomenei’s interest in spirituality that replaced the polity of Iran a century later.
Who Was Ayatollah Khomeini?
Ayatollah Khomeini led Iran’s Islamic Revolution in 1979 and deposed the pro-Western former Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. He then established the Islamic Republic of Iran in the same year by becoming the first supreme leader of Iran. He eventually died in 1989.
As per history, Khomenei was believed to be a humble leader who lived in a modest single-storey house in Tehran, even after rising to the highest political and religious position in the country. Even today, his house lacks elegance when compared to Pahlavi’s.
Sayyid Mahdi Imam Jamah offered him the house for free, but Khamenei paid him a thousand riyals. It is notable for its Egyptian décor and has two modest rooms, with a passenger lift later added to connect it to the hall where he gathered with his supporters and spoke. The Imam reportedly never wanted people to spend on luxury. He even refused public money for his house when people offered to put tiles on his walls.
Also Read: Iran Sets Up Mental Health Clinics For Women Refusing To Wear Hijab. What Else Is Left To See?
His Successor
Ali Khamenei, Khomenei’s successor, currently leads Iran. In a televised address yesterday, he declared that Tehran will not yield in the face of US pressure and Israeli weapons. His statement came as Iran and Israel exchanged missiles for the seventh consecutive day.
First Published: June 19, 2025 1:48 PM
