Khomeini Ruholla

Kho·mei·ni

K0051100 (kō-mā′nē, KHō-, KHô′mā-nē′), Ayatollah Ruholla 1900-1989. Iranian Shiite leader and head of state (1979-1989). Arrested (1963) and exiled (1964) for his opposition to Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi's regime, he returned to Iran after the shah's downfall (1979). His reign was marked by a return to strict observance of the Islamic code.