Khamenei Lauds Wife’s Austerity: “She Never Asked Me for Clothes or Jewels”

According to Saed News, excerpts from Khun Deli ke Lal Shod, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s autobiographical memoir, praise his wife’s unwavering commitment to simplicity and sacrifice. Reflecting on her life before and after Iran’s Islamic Revolution, he emphasises how she refrained from asking him to buy clothes, instead alerting him when family necessities arose and quietly procuring items herself.

Khamenei adds that his spouse never owned a single piece of jewelry; any trinkets she did possess were inherited from upbringing or gifts from kin. She sold them all and donated the proceeds to charitable causes, ensuring she now owns not “even one ordinary ring” . He credits her with taking the lead in eliminating worldly extravagance from their household—an area in which he admits she has vastly outpaced his own efforts .

This anecdote, drawn from Chapter 10, Page 159, showcases Khamenei’s admiration for his wife’s piety, endurance, and fidelity to principled living. By foregrounding her virtues, he underscores a broader moral narrative: that the private example of leaders and their families should reflect ethical leadership publicly espoused.

Analysts note that such statements serve a dual purpose: reinforcing cultural expectations of modesty, particularly among Iran’s elite, while cultivating an image of principled personal conduct within its ruling class. In public discourse, these personal vignettes aim to humanise high office while reaffirming the regime’s foundational values of sacrifice and spiritual devotion.