Both his political legitimacy and religious authority are highly questionable, and the street violence and prison brutality of recent months has undermined his authority and shaken his social base. Increasingly reliant on the Revolutionary Guard as the bulwark of his regime, Khamenei has cut himself off from the possibility of compromise.
但跟伊朗伊斯兰共和国的缔造者阿亚图拉鲁霍拉·霍梅尼不一样的是，哈梅内伊既缺乏强大的个人魅力，也没有深厚的学养。他在政治和宗教上的统治合法性都饱受质疑，而近来发生的街头暴力和监狱野蛮行为更削弱了他的权威和社会基础。随着他的政权对革命卫队的依赖性越来越大，哈梅内伊也断掉了和民众进行妥协的后路。