Ruhollah Khomeini

Khomeini was exiled from Iran after criticizing the Shah's White Revolution and granting of diplomatic immunity to US personnel. He settled in Najaf, Iraq, and later in France, where he continued to organize opposition to the Shah.

Khomeini led a popular revolution that overthrew the Shah's regime. He returned to Iran in February 1979 and established an Islamic Republic based on his doctrine of Velayat-e Faqih (Guardianship of the Jurist), with himself as Supreme Leader.

Khomeini supported the seizure of the US Embassy in Tehran by student militants, who held 52 American diplomats hostage for 444 days. The crisis deepened the rift with the US, led to economic sanctions, and consolidated Khomeini's power.

Khomeini led Iran through an eight-year war with Iraq, which began with an Iraqi invasion. The war resulted in hundreds of thousands of casualties and massive economic destruction, ending in a stalemate. Khomeini accepted a UN ceasefire in 1988.

Khomeini issued a fatwa calling for the death of author Salman Rushdie for his novel 'The Satanic Verses', which he deemed blasphemous. The fatwa led to international controversy, diplomatic tensions, and attacks on Rushdie's translators.