Why Khamenei kept his right hand hidden under cloak for 45 years? The 1981 bombing that changed his life

(FILES) This handout picture provided by the office of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei shows him waving during an address in Tehran on February 17, 2026. (Photo by Handout / KHAMENEI.IR / AFP)

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in his office during a joint US-Israel military operation. His death ends over three decades of leadership and is expected to create uncertainty in Iran amid ongoing tensions with the US and Israel.

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Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in his office on Saturday during a large joint military operation carried out by the United States and Israel, marking one of the most dramatic developments in the decades-long confrontation between Tehran and its adversaries.

Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB confirmed his death early Sunday. “The Supreme Leader of Iran Has Reached Martyrdom,” the channel reported.

Khamenei, who led Iran for more than three decades, had previously survived an assassination attempt long before he rose to the position of Supreme Leader. The incident left him with permanent injuries that became part of his public image for years.

On June 27, 1981, when he was serving as Iran’s president, Khamenei visited a mosque after returning from the frontlines of the Iran-Iraq war. After leading prayers, he addressed followers and took questions.

During the gathering, a man described as “a young man of medium height, curly hair, beard and chequered coat” placed a tape recorder on a desk in front of him and pressed a button.

About a minute later, the device began whistling before exploding.

Investigators later found a message written inside the tape recorder that read, “A gift of Furqan Group to the Islamic Republic.” The Furqan Group was a militant organisation that opposed Iran’s clerical leadership at the time.

Khamenei suffered serious injuries in the blast, including damage to his right arm, vocal cords and lungs. Although he eventually recovered after months of treatment, his right arm was permanently paralysed.

Despite the injury, he continued his political career and remained defiant. “I won't need the hand. It would suffice if my brain and tongue work,” he said.

Khamenei later learned to write with his left hand and steadily rose within Iran’s political and religious leadership before eventually becoming Supreme Leader in 1989.

Over the next 35 years he became one of the most powerful figures in Iran, shaping the country’s domestic and foreign policies.

Despite his prominent role, details about his personal life remained relatively limited. He is survived by his wife Mansoureh Khojasteh Bagherzadeh and their six children. While some extended relatives are believed to live abroad, his immediate family has largely remained in Iran.

According to Axios, the 86-year-old leader was one of the world’s longest-serving rulers. His death is expected to create significant uncertainty within Iran’s leadership and may increase pressure on the country’s ruling establishment as the conflict with the United States and Israel continues.