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Iran’s Khamenei moves to usher in new generation of revolutionaries

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s vision of a “Second Step of the Revolution” has led to analysis about the youth role in its implementation.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivers a speech during a ceremony marking the death anniversary of the founder of the Islamic Republic Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in Tehran, Iran, June 4, 2017. TIMA via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RC13A53A0670

When Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the final decision-maker on major matters of state, recently announced there would be a “second step” of the Islamic revolution, details were vague. However, on Feb. 11, Khamenei’s website published a comprehensive statement on the “second step.”

Accompanying the statement was an illustration of Khamenei taking a step forward while leading a group of engineers, scientists and athletes. The illustration went viral, as it contained only one cleric. Absent were the representations of the septuagenarian clerics who run most of Iran's major power centers. The group surrounding Khamenei was exclusively made up of young individuals.

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