Years before he became Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei was the victim of a near-fatal assassination that left his right hand permanently paralysed — an injury that later fed into his public image of resilience.
On June 27, 1981, while serving as Iran’s president, Khamenei was speaking to worshippers at a mosque after returning from the Iran-Iraq war frontlines. A man placed an object that looked like a tape recorder on the desk in front of him; minutes later it emitted a sharp noise and exploded.
The blast caused severe injuries, damaging the nerves in his arm and rendering his right hand permanently paralysed. Investigators who examined the device reportedly found a message inside claiming responsibility from the Furqan Group, a militant faction opposed to Iran’s clerical leadership.
The failed assassination not only altered his physical life but became a significant episode in his political narrative, contributing to an image of survival and authority.
Khamenei survived the assassination on a Saturday, however, decades later, another Saturday got him.
