The martyrdom of Imam Seyyed Ali Khamenei does not represent the end of an era, but the transformation of the Islamic Revolution into an even deeper, politically and spiritually irreversible movement.

By being assassinated in an attack by the United States and “Israel”, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic was not eliminated as a political leader, but was elevated to the condition of martyr, inserting his death into the long tradition of sacrifice that marks the history of Islam and particularly of Shiism.

In the Islamic tradition, especially in the historical consciousness of Shiism, martyrdom does not represent defeat. On the contrary, it constitutes the supreme form of fidelity to the covenant with God.

Since Karbala, when Imam Hussein fell before unjust power, martyrdom has become a founding principle of resistance. Khamenei’s death is inscribed in this historical continuity, that of a leader who crossed decades of struggle against imperialism and Zionism and who died as a witness to a cause that surpasses his own life.

For almost four decades as Supreme Leader, since 1989 Khamenei represented the continuity of the Islamic Revolution founded by Imam Khomeini. His role was unique. As the country’s highest religious and political authority, he exercised decisive influence over the major orientations of the State, including foreign policy, the armed forces, and the supervision of the central institutions of the Islamic Republic.

READ: Iranian state TV says Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei killed in US-Israeli attacks

Although often portrayed in the West as an absolute ruler, the Iranian political system has a complex........

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