Iran's Powerful Top Cleric Grows Into a Role He Once Questioned.

The article explores the political evolution of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. When he served as the Friday Prayer leader, he challenged the concept of the role, placing Islamic law and the Constitution above the authority of a central figure. However, as supreme leader, he gradually centralized power and, according to analysts and Western diplomats, moved away from a system of theocracy and toward one of an autocracy.