Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini was Iran’s Supreme Leader from 1979 until his death in 1989, so he held ultimate power for about 10 years.

Quick Scoop: How long was Khomeini in power?

  • Khomeini returned to Iran and took control during the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
  • He became Supreme Leader (the top political and religious authority) for life under Iran’s new Islamic Republic system that same year.
  • He remained in this position until he died on 3 June 1989.
  • That means he effectively ruled Iran for roughly a decade, from early 1979 to mid‑1989.

In short: when people ask “how long has Ayatollah Khomeini been in power,” the answer is that he was in power for about 10 years, and he is no longer alive or ruling today.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.