The Islamic State of Iran at 40

Four decades ago, Iran was convulsed by one of the great revolutions of the 20th century. The leader of that revolution: Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, would take the title: “supreme leader.” He was to be regarded, literally, as God’s “representative on Earth.” A charismatic, fire-and-brimstone cleric, he preached jihad against America and the West. When he died in 1989, his disciple, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, became the new supreme leader. He has called the Islamic Revolution the “turning point in modern world history.”

His regime now influences Iraq, has military forces propping up the Assad dictatorship in Syria—where more than half a million people have been killed and millions made homeless—controls Lebanon through Hezbollah, backs the Houthi rebels in Yemen, and penetrates Latin America.

Supreme Leader Khamenei also has a nuclear weapons program—perhaps delayed but certainly not ended by the deal President Obama agreed to—as well as a program to develop missiles capable of delivering such weapons to targets anywhere in the world.

To learn more about what lies ahead for the Islamic Republic, host Clifford D. May is joined by FDD Freedom Scholar Michael Ledeen—who has been studying the Islamic Republic since its inception —and FDD Research Fellow and Iran expert Behnam Ben Taleblu.