He served as Iran's president from 1981 to 1989 before succeeding Khomeini, with his blessing, in 1989. In 1981 he survived an assassination attempt in a mosque when a bomb placed in a tape recorder exploded in front of him; he consequently lost the use of his right arm.

In June 1981, after the Iranian revolution and the overthrow of the shah, he was the target of an attempted assassination that paralyzed his right arm. [ 21 ][ 22 ] Khamenei was one of Iran's leaders during the Iran–Iraq War in the 1980s, and developed close ties with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, which he controls, and whose commanders are ...

4 Aug 2011 · In June 1981, an opposition group tried to assassinate him. A bomb hidden inside a tape recorder detonated while he was giving a news conference. He lost the use of his right arm.

On 27 June 1981, in the Abuzar Mosque in Tehran, Iran, Ali Khamenei was injured after he gave a speech for prayers, when a bomb placed on the tape recorder in front of him exploded, damaging his arm, vocal cords and lungs.

9 Mar 2020 · In June 1981, he was severely injured in a bomb attack on a mosque in Tehran that was blamed on a leftist insurgent group. The incident left him paralysed in his right arm. Two months later,...

19 Apr 2024 · Khamenei suffered serious injuries and was left paralysed in his right arm. After President Mohammad Ali Raja'i and Prime Minister Mohammad Javad Bahonar were assassinated in August 1981 by...

Khamenei was taken to Baharloo Hospital in southern Tehran to receive medical aid. The blast severely injured his right arm, which was left paralyzed, and his vocal cords were also damaged,...

17 Jun 2009 · Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Islamic Republic's Supreme Leader, has a limp and useless right arm thanks to that attempt to kill him with a hidden bomb in 1981. The physical ordeals have...

4 Oct 2024 · After other key political figures were assassinated - with Mr Khamenei himself targeted in a separate attempt, leaving him paralysed in his right arm - he became president of Iran in an uncontested election. Khamenei as president giving a press interview in 1982. Pic: AP.

25 Feb 2020 · After surviving an assassination attempt that paralyzed his right arm, Khamenei was asked by revolutionary elites to run for president. He successfully did so and was elected in 1981.