[khoh-mey-nee, khoo-; Pers. khaw-mey-nee] 
| Ayatollah Ru⋅hol⋅lah [roo-hoh-luh; Pers. roo-haw-lah] , 1900?–89, Islamic leader of Iran 1979–89. |
| Kho·mei·ni (kō-mā'nē, KHō-, KHô'mā-nē') Iranian Shiite leader and head of state (1979-1989). Arrested (1963) and exiled (1964) for his opposition to Shah Muhammad Reza Pahlavi's regime, he returned to Iran on the shah's downfall (1979) and established a new constitution giving himself supreme powers. His reign was marked by a return to strict observance of the Islamic code. |
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