Tehran: Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, the martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution, played a key role in safeguarding Iran against Western imperialism and interference, says Wilmer J. Leon III, an American writer and international affairs analyst.

According to Islamic Republic News Agency, in an exclusive interview published on Thursday, Leon remarked, "The ideas of Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei that had the greatest influence on the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran are the strategic expansion of the five branches of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC)." He elaborated on Khamenei's understanding that Iran needed to reorganize its defense forces to protect itself against Western imperialism and domestic interference while staying true to Islamic tradition.

Leon provided context for Khamenei's rise to power by recalling the 1953 CIA-orchestrated coup against Iran's democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh, which reinstalled Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. The Shah's regime operated as a pro-Western monarchy until the Iranian Revolution of 1979, when a broad coalition of Iranians, including clerics, students, and workers, overthrew the government.

Khamenei officially became the Supreme Leader of Iran on June 4, 1989, succeeding Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Leon assessed Khamenei's legacy, noting his strategic influence on Iran's foreign policy and national defense. Khamenei emphasized the importance of developing Iran's nuclear capabilities as a deterrent and expanded Iran's influence in the Axis of Resistance movement by fostering relationships with regional groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas, and Ansar Allah.

Leon underscored Khamenei's strategy of resistance against Western powers, highlighting the moral basis and long-term goals of the movement, which he argued differs fundamentally from the Western objective of maintaining the status quo. He concluded by criticizing the West's failure to understand the power and purpose of the resistance, leading to its entanglement in unwinnable conflicts in the region.