Ever since succeeding Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founding father of the Islamic revolution, Ayatollah Khamenei ruled with an iron fist and refused calls for change, crushing dissent and ordering the killing of protesters who challenged his rule in the street. Above all else, Ayatollah Khamenei viewed himself as the guardian of the revolution, responsible for safeguarding the survival of the Islamic republic, and had identified possible replacements to assume that role after him.