Knowledge Tree
Ruhollah Khomeini
Also known as: Khomeini, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Ayatollah Khomeini, Ruhollah Khomeini
Facts (19)
Sources
War by Proxy: Iran's Growing Footprint in the Middle East - CSIS csis.org Mar 11, 2019 10 facts
claimAyatollah Khomeini created the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) because he was suspicious of the loyalty of officers in Iran's regular military, fearing they maintained ties to Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
claimGrand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani's stance on clerical participation in politics is an implicit rebuke of Islamic Republic founder Ayatollah Khomeini’s doctrine of velayat-e faqih.
claimMuqtada al-Sadr does not believe in Ayatollah Khomeini’s doctrine of velayat-e faqih.
claimMuqtada al-Sadr's father's teachings on the importance of Arabism run counter to Ayatollah Khomeini’s pan-Shia, anti-nationalist ideology.
claimAyatollah Khomeini envisioned the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a force to protect the Iranian revolution against internal and external threats.
perspectiveGrand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani of Najaf adheres to a 'quietist' school of Iraqi Shiism that rejects direct clerical participation in politics, which serves as an implicit rebuke of the doctrine of velayat-e faqih established by Ayatollah Khomeini.
claimAyatollah Khomeini created the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) because he was suspicious of the loyalty of officers in Iran's regular military, fearing they maintained ties to Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
quoteAyatollah Khomeini described Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) soldiers as "the guardians of the revolution and the fighting sons of Islam."
quoteAyatollah Khomeini described Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps soldiers as "the guardians of the revolution and the fighting sons of Islam."
claimMuqtada al-Sadr's ideology emphasizes Arabism and rejects Ayatollah Khomeini's doctrine of velayat-e faqih, creating a complex relationship between Muqtada al-Sadr and the IRGC-QF.
Iran's Proxy Strategy and the Extent of Surrogate Autonomy - AHS alexanderhamiltonsociety.org 3 facts
claimIdeological zealotry within Iran tempered following the death of Ayatollah Khomeini in 1989.
claimWhile not mainstream, some of Iran's more fanatical surrogates embrace the ideology of the Islamic revolution as originally conceptualized by Ayatollah Khomeini.
accountFormer Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini envisaged an Islamic Republic that would champion the oppressed throughout the Muslim world, necessitating a bottom-up approach of enfranchising insurgencies across the region to upset the status quo and fight Western influence.
Iran's Geopolitical Footprint: Regional Power or Global Contender? moderndiplomacy.eu Mar 26, 2025 2 facts
claimAyatollah Ruhollah Khomeini articulated the core ideology of Iran's foreign policy as 'Islamic resistance' against foreign influence, particularly from Western powers, and the establishment of an Islamic government as a model for the Muslim world.
claimThe core ideology of Iran's foreign policy, as articulated by the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, centers on 'Islamic resistance' against foreign influence and the establishment of an Islamic government as a model for the Muslim world.
The Implications Of Iran's Failed Proxy Strategy - Hoover Institution hoover.org Dec 10, 2024 1 fact
accountAyatollah Khomeini established the importance of the Palestinian cause within Iran's revolutionary ideology, a focus that continues to persist.
Iran at a Crossroads: Legitimacy, External Pressure and Regional ... ciris.info Feb 14, 2026 1 fact
accountThe 1979 Constitution of Iran fused Ayatollah Khomeini’s doctrine of velayat-e faqih with republican institutions adapted from the 1906 constitutional tradition.
Iran's Islamist Proxies in the Middle East - Wilson Center wilsoncenter.org Sep 12, 2023 1 fact
quote"The Palestinian Islamic Jihad is another fruit of the Ayatollah Khomeini’s fructuous tree."
Iran Country Report 2026 - BTI Transformation Index bti-project.org 1 fact
claimThe Iranian state doctrine of 'Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist' (velayat-e faqih) was introduced by Ruhollah Khomeini and lacks roots in traditional Shi'a theology.