Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been the Supreme Leader Of Iran. Did his wife, Mansoureh, marry him when she was only 17?
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been the Supreme Leader Of Iran since 1989. The 86-year-old Islamic scholar, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, reportedly founded the Islamic Republic. Now reports mention that he died in a joint United States and Israel str**e on Tehran. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's wife, Mansoureh Khojasteh Bagherzadeh, has been one of the most private people in the history of the Islamic Republic. However, a rare interview of Mansoureh had gone viral on social media, where she had spoken about her life with Khamenei. She had called him a caring husband and had also revealed how they had got married. Mansoureh reportedly had shared of getting into an arranged marriage set up at the mere age of 17.
A report by the Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty stated that the wives of most of the Iranian leaders are next to invisible on Iran's political scene. The same has been true of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's wife, Mansoureh, who reportedly stayed mostly out of the media limelight. The credibility of the interview could not be determined because it was loosely translated. However, when Mansoureh was asked about her wedding to Ayatollah, she claimed that his mother had come to her house to ask for her hand. At one end, there has been no picture of Mansoureh, and no one knows anything about her. However, Mansoureh, in a rare interview first published in 1993 in an Iranian magazine, also spoke about her marriage to Ayatollah. She claimed to have married at the mere age of 17. In her words:
"I got married to him at the age of 17 in 1964. His (Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's) mother approached my family for the union."
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's wife, Mansoureh, revealed further that her role was to maintain a calm atmosphere at home so that her husband could do his work in peace. She used to reportedly even visit him in pr**on but used to not share about her issues. Mansoureh always ensured that she would try her best to give her husband good news. When Mansoureh was asked if her husband, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei used to help her at home, she said:
"He neither currently has time [to help] nor do I expect him to do so. One admirable trait he has which could be as an example for others, is that even, though he often comes home tired from work, he does his best to keep work-related problems away from home. He doesn’t expect anything but a happy, calm, and healthy family environment."
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's wife, Mansoureh, has rarely been seen in public events. Her dad was Mohammad Esmaeil Khojasteh Bagherzadeh, who was a businessman in Mashhad. She has always maintained a low profile when Ayatollah ruled. Mansoureh's brother, Hassan, was earlier the deputy director of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB). It is the country's broadcaster. Ayatollah and Mansoureh have six kids- two daughters- Boshra and Hoda are married. The pair has a large number of grandchildren.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Mansoureh had a traditional marriage, and she reportedly ensured her kids stayed out of the political limelight. Very little information is available on Mansoureh beyond this one rare interview, which was reportedly for international readers. Speaking of their children, Mojtaba Khamenei was always seen as the successor. Masoud Khamenei, another son, has been known for his religious scholarship and is very detached from open politics.
What are your views about Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's wife, Mansoureh, reportedly marrying at the age of 17?
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