How Does Iran’s Supreme Leader Support His Livelihood?

According to the political news service of SaedNews, quoting Young Journalists Club, public opinion has always wondered how the income of political and spiritual leaders is secured, and the Supreme Leader is no exception to this rule.

Amid interviews and memoirs, we encountered a conversation with one of the officials from the Supreme Leader’s office. Hojjatoleslam Ahmad Marvi, Deputy of Communications in the Supreme Leader’s office in 2008, regarding the financial support for the Leader’s life, says: “The management of his life, mostly—at least as far as I know and it is fairly accurate—is funded primarily by the vows (nazr) that people make concerning the Leader. Vows come in. There were many vows for the Imam (may God’s mercy be upon him). Likewise, many vows come for the Leader, as people make personal vows for him. His life is mostly supported by these vows and he does not use public funds or the office’s budget. He does not use religious dues (vajehat) at all. Mostly it is these vows.”

Also, Mohammad Hossein Safar Harandi, former Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, in a memory, says: “In the early 1990s, the Supreme Leader told Mr. Hashemi that people’s lives were becoming very difficult and the inflation was exhausting them. ‘I do not agree with the continuation of policies that make people poorer.’ (At that time, policies such as subsidy removal were being pursued.)

The Supreme Leader said: ‘I oppose it.’

Mr. Hashemi said some people come and create propaganda and tell you things. You shouldn’t believe them. It’s not like that. The people’s situation is good.”

The Supreme Leader said: “What I’m saying comes from my own family going shopping and our own experiences; it’s not that someone has brought us news. My children and family themselves go and shop. They buy bread. They buy yogurt and realize that today’s prices have changed compared to yesterday.”

“Some officials are responsible but they don’t know prices or rates from year to year because they have never been seen in any shop and they are not part of the lives of ordinary people, so obviously they are unaware of the situation. Sometimes some clever media reporters ask questions about the current prices of certain goods and the responsible person knows nothing.”