On March 1, 2026, the Iranian government made it official. “After a lifetime of struggle,” a state broadcaster declared, “Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei drank the sweet, pure draft of martyrdom(殉道，殉难) and joined the Supreme Heavenly Kingdom.” The broadcaster praised Khamenei for being “unceasing and untiring” and for his “lofty(崇高的，高耸的) and celestial spirit.” As he read the announcement, people offscreen wailed. When he finished, he, too, broke down in tears(崩溃大哭，泣不成声).
2026年3月1日，伊朗政府正式宣布。国家广播电台宣称：‘经过一生的斗争，伊朗最高领袖阿里·哈梅内伊饮下了甜美纯净的殉道美酒，加入了至高天国。’电台赞扬哈梅内伊‘永不松懈、不知疲倦’，并称赞他‘崇高而神圣的精神’。宣读声明时，画外传来人们的哀嚎。宣读完毕后，他自己也泣不成声。
Most Iranians probably didn’t cry when they learned of Khamenei’s passing(逝世，去世). For over 35 years, Iran’s supreme leader ruled with an iron fist(铁腕，高压统治), repressing women, minorities, and anyone who dared challenge him. But the dramatic wording of the death announcement was, in a sense, warranted: more than anyone else, Khamenei is the architect(缔造者，设计师) of the Islamic Republic and all it has entail(牵涉，带来)ed. Although it was Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini who established the theocracy by seizing power during Iran’s 1979 revolution, it was his successor who transformed it into the country it is now. It was Khamenei who ensured that the supreme leader remained Iran’s paramount authority in practice, not just in principle.(正是哈梅内伊确保最高领袖在实践中——而非仅仅在原则上——仍然是伊朗的最高权威。) It was Khamenei who pushed Iran to pursue regional hegemony(霸权，主导地位), thus committing it to perpetual conflict with Israel and the United States. And it was Khamenei who transformed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), once a military with an uncertain future, into the central pillar of the government.
大多数伊朗人得知哈梅内伊去世时很可能没有哭泣。三十五年来，伊朗最高领袖铁腕统治，镇压妇女、少数族裔以及任何敢于挑战他的人。但死亡公告的戏剧性措辞在某种意义上是有道理的：比任何人都更甚，哈梅内伊是伊斯兰共和国及其一切后果的缔造者。尽管是阿亚图拉·鲁霍拉·霍梅尼在1979年伊朗革命期间夺权建立了神权政体，但却是他的继任者将其变成了如今的国家。正是哈梅内伊确保最高领袖在实践中——而非仅仅在原则上——仍然是伊朗的最高权威。正是哈梅内伊推动伊朗追求地区霸权，从而使其陷入与以色列和美国的持续冲突。也正是哈梅内伊将伊斯兰革命卫队（IRGC）——曾经一支前途未卜的军队——转变成了政府的核心支柱。
The Iranian elite moved quickly to name a replacement. Just over a week after his death, the Assembly of Experts(负责选举和罢免最高领袖的机构), the clerical body tasked with appointing the supreme leader, announced that Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba, would assume the position. But speed and lineage(血统，世系) will not prevent a power vacuum(权力真空) in Iran. Only the elder Khamenei had the experience and standing required to keep the regime’s various camps in check. As a result, Iran’s top officials are now lining up to chart the country’s future.
伊朗精英迅速指定了继任者。哈梅内伊死后仅一周，负责任命最高领袖的神职机构“专家会议”就宣布，哈梅内伊之子穆杰塔巴将接任。但速度和血缘并不能阻止伊朗出现权力真空。只有年长的哈梅内伊才具备控制政权各派所需要的经验和威望。结果，伊朗高级官员如今正排队谋划国家的未来。
WATCH THE THRONE
觊觎王位
DELUSIONS OF GRANDEUR
大国妄想
CRISIS OF FAITH
信仰危机
CHANGE YOU CAN BELIEVE IN
你可以相信的改变
