May 19, 2013
The week's top five must-sees,
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The week's top five must-sees,
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Description
Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Hosseini Khamenei is the Supreme Leader of Iran, and a Shia Marja'. He had also served as the President of Iran from 1981 to 1989. In 2012, Forbes selected him 21st in the list of 'World's Most Powerful People'.
Holding absolute power in his country, he has been described as one of only three people having "important influence" during the history of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Khamenei was the victim of an attempted assassination in June 1981 that paralyzed his right arm, although so far the biggest challenge to his leadership has been the 2009 Iranian election protests following the 2009 presidential elections during which he strongly supported president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
(via Freebase)
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![Iran slams new EU sanctions as illegal, unwise, inhuman [Al-Alam, Iran]](/images/image_cache/base-12348000/12348330/thumbnail.width=304,height=171,grow=1,crop=center.jpg?sig=bade7e5fb01acebdfb1c3469860269b9)
![Iranian riot police clash with demonstrators during currency crisis protests in Tehran [BBC Arabic, UK]](/images/image_cache/base-11545000/11545252/thumbnail.width=304,height=171,grow=1,crop=center.jpg?sig=17ba038a33b25b6102cf5f4dbb353b9c)
![Iranian currency plummets to all-time low [IBA, Israel]](/images/image_cache/base-11429000/11429551/thumbnail.width=304,height=171,grow=1,crop=center.jpg?sig=16e777a0b55f0d820918a3d922e80bc8)
![Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei: US, Israel main culprits in Syria crisis [Press TV, Iran]](/images/image_cache/base-9618000/9618142/thumbnail.width=304,height=171,grow=1,crop=center.jpg?sig=49192f641d43f56563ceec3d1f9e056d)
![Iran, Syria come under attack at non-aligned conference as Tehran lashes out at West [BBC Arabic, UK]](/images/image_cache/base-9535000/9535926/thumbnail.width=304,height=171,grow=1,crop=center.jpg?sig=2723af7ae1d25d87c73864332843c4e9 "Reuters/ISNA/Handout")
![Ban Ki-moon arrives in Tehran despite Western attempts to isolate Iran [Al-Alam, Iran]](/images/image_cache/base-9502000/9502072/thumbnail.width=304,height=171,grow=1,crop=center.jpg?sig=7b56979ba5d04278065e72b02d815f31 "Reuters/ISNA/Handout")
![Khamenei says Iran's path is undeterred by new US sanctions [Al-Alam, Iran]](/images/image_cache/base-8131000/8131344/thumbnail.width=304,height=171,grow=1,crop=center.jpg?sig=3c30913077173e898f9335e1f2c358aa "Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei attends a meeting with Iranian nuclear scientists and managers in Tehran February 22, 2012: REUTERS/Khamenei.ir/Handout")
![Khamenei says Iran will defend itself if attacked [Press TV, Iran]](/images/image_cache/base-2063000/2063053/thumbnail.width=304,height=171,grow=1,crop=center.jpg?sig=01935b24e24936b9a0372d32660158c3)
![Iran election pins conservatives against Ahmadinejad loyalists [Al Jazeera, Qatar]](/images/image_cache/base-1424000/1424469/thumbnail.width=304,height=171,grow=1,crop=center.jpg?sig=d4276e6f1282bf304c3674bbcd204b46 "A woman fills in her ballot during Iran's parliamentary election at a mosque in southern Tehran March 2, 2012. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi")