Years before becoming Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei survived a near-fatal assassination attempt that left his right hand permanently paralysed and reshaped his public image. On June 27, 1981, while serving as president, he was addressing worshippers in a mosque after returning from the Iran–Iraq war frontlines when a man placed an object resembling a tape recorder on the lectern. Minutes later it emitted a sharp noise and exploded.
The blast badly injured Khamenei, damaging the nerves in his arm and rendering his right hand unusable. Investigators who examined the device reportedly found a message inside claiming responsibility from the Furqan Group, a militant faction hostile to Iran’s clerical leadership. The attempt did not kill him, but the physical damage persisted.
The injury and his survival became woven into Khamenei’s political narrative, underscoring themes of endurance and authority in the years that followed. The 1981 attack remains a defining episode in his life and career, and explains why he frequently avoided showing his right hand in public.
