New Delhi, March 1 -- Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in joint US-Israel attacks, ruled Iran for more than three decades. The longest-serving head of state in the Middle East died at the age of 86 on 28 February. A central figure in the Gulf, he reshaped the balance of power through confrontation with the West.

An ardent supporter of the development of Iran's nuclear program, Khamenei had built a powerful network of regional militant groups. Khamenei took over the reins of Iran in 1989, which was left bankrupt following the eight-year war with neighbouring Iraq - one of the deadliest global conflicts of the past century.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei served as the supreme leader of Iran from 1989 until Saturday whe...