As War Descends on Iran, People Have Discovered Some Wild Old Posts on Ayatollah Khamenei's Twitter Account

Back in the days of yore, Twitter capped posts at a paltry 140 characters. That kept tweets short, sweet, and to the point — lending themselves well to off the cuff remarks. As tragedy mounts in the middle east following Israel's so-called "preemptive strike" on Iranian civilians, it's safe to say more eyes are on Iranian Ayatollah Khamenei than ever before. Some of those eyes are uncovering decades-old tweets on the Supreme Leader's Twitter account, from the days when 140 character shower thoughts were all anyone had room for. A deep dive into the leader's backlog reveals an at times […]

Jun 21, 2025 - 08:10

As War Descends on Iran, People Have Discovered Some Wild Old Posts on Ayatollah Khamenei's Twitter Account

Some digital sleuths are uncovering decades-old tweets on love, books, and happiness on the Supreme Leader of Iran's Twitter account.

Back in the days of yore, Twitter capped posts at a paltry 140 characters. That kept tweets short, sweet, and to the point — lending themselves well to off-the-cuff musings.

Now, as tragedy mounts in the middle east following Israel's attack on Iran, it's safe to say more eyes are on Iranian Ayatollah Ali Khamenei than ever before. And some of those eyes are uncovering decades-old tweets on the Supreme Leader's Twitter account that aren't quite what you'd expect from the controversial head of state.

A deep dive into the leader's backlog reveals posts both philosophical and banal, sometimes confounding and sometimes surprisingly tender. Also, he might be a wife guy.

"A life without #happiness and smile is a hellish #life," Khamenei suggested all the way back in April of 2014, as international tensions over Iran's alleged nuclear research program bristled. "A heavenly life, is a life with smiles."

Many of the posts center around the Ayatollah's love of books, reflecting Iran's broader affinity for poetry. (The influential 18th-century thinker Johann Wolfgang von Goethe regarded Persia as one of the four pillars of world literature.)

Still, some of the posts come across as a bit irritating, like a college freshman who takes himself way too seriously.

"I'm not into cinema and visual arts but when it comes to poetry and novels, I'm not just a typical audience. #Books #AvidReader," the Supreme Leader wrote in a now-viral tweet from 2015, complete with hash tags that were already falling out of style at the time.

The ancient posts coming to light at this moment of international crisis is prompting some surreal humor online. "Ayatollah wants you to know he’s not like other girls," one user joked.

Khamenei also had some thoughts on gender relations.

"Man has a responsibility to understand #woman’s needs and feelings and must not be neglectful toward her #emotional state," he posited in September of 2013. He followed up a month later by declaring: "if wife/husband feels his/her partner’s heart harbors in some other sea;is [sic] not honest;is hypocritical;whatsoever the love bestowed,will fade."

"Why the f*** is the Ayotollah giving me good relationship advice?" one account quipped.

Other musings on the account are downright bizarre: in one tweet from 2013, Khamenei called himself "naughty and playful" while thinking back on how uncomfortable he was wearing a cloak in front of other school kids.

The Ayatollah also sometimes weighed in on unrest elsewhere in the world. As Baltimore protested the murder of Freddie Gray while in police custody, Khamenei snapped that "they [the US] celebrate a day for abolition of slavery but such crimes are committed against the blacks [sic]. #EricGarner #TrayvonMartin #BlackLivesMatter."

One influencer summed it up best: "I apologize, Ayatollah Khamenei, I was unfamiliar with your game."

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