Peter Kenyon

In 2005, Ali Khamenei (center), newly elected President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (right), outgoing President Mohammad Khatami and former President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani attend Ahmadinejad's inaugural ceremony in Tehran.

Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is killed in Israeli strike, ending 36-year iron rule

Jackie Northam, James Hider, Peter Kenyon

Khamenei, the Islamic Republic's second supreme leader, has been killed. He had held power since 1989, guiding Iran through difficult times — and overseeing the violent suppression of dissent.

NPR Headlines

Women in Iran keep protesting strict Islamic dress code despite police crackdown

Peter Kenyon

Female activists in Iran say they're undeterred as authorities continue fierce enforcement of female dress codes.

Iranian reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian reacts after casting his ballot during the presidential runoff in Shareh Qods, west of Tehran on Friday.

NPR Headlines

Reformist Masoud Pezeshkian wins Iran's presidential runoff

Peter Kenyon, Juliana Kim

Reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian beat hard-liner Saeed Jalili in the runoff election to replace the late president who was killed in a helicopter crash in May.

An Iranian man casts his vote at a polling station in Tehran during the country's presidential election on Friday.

NPR Headlines

Iran will hold a runoff election between a reformist and a hard-liner

Juliana Kim, Peter Kenyon

Reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian received the most votes in Iran's snap presidential elections. But it wasn't enough to avoid a runoff with the second-place contender — a hard-line conservative.

Pictured from left: Saeed Jalili, Masoud Pezeshkian, Mostafa Pourmohammadi and Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.

NPR Headlines

Here's what to know about Iran's presidential election

Peter Kenyon

A brief primer on Iran's vote for president.

NPR Headlines

Iran's president died in a helicopter crash. Who will replace him?

Peter Kenyon, Ayesha Rascoe

NPR looks at who's in the running to replace the Iran's late president, Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash last month.

Worries grow about Iran-Israel hostilities spiraling into a wider regional conflict

Peter Kenyon

Iran’s unprecedented missile attack against Israel in April thrust the Islamic Republic into the Israel-Hamas war. Both Tehran and Tel Aviv have since signaled reluctance to escalate.