Ali Khamenehi as the 26th most powerful figure in the world, just below Michael Duke, the CEO of Wal-Mart and just above Naoto Kan, the prime minister of Japan.
Forbes only briefly explained why it chose Khamenehi for its list of the 70 most powerful people. It did not describe him as having any international influence; it described his power only in domestic terms.
Calling Khamenehi a “grand ayatollah,” Forbes said he “has the final say in all matters” in Iran, but that his power has been “waning” since last year’s elections. The magazine said Khamenehi now faces a “rebellion” among senior clerics who “have become increasingly critical of the post-election crackdown.”
Forbes ranked 12 presidents, kings and prime ministers as being more powerful than Khamenehi, including the prime minister of Israel.
It also ranked New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg as more powerful. Pope Benedict XVI was ranked far above Khamenehi in fifth place. And four women upstaged Khamen-ehi: German Chancellor Angela Merkel in sixth place; Sonia Gandhi, chairman of India’s ruling Congress party, in ninth place; Brazilian President-elect Dilma Rousseff in 16th place; and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 20th place.
Khamenehi also badly trailed another Muslim leader. Saudi King Abdullah was placed third on the list behind Chinese President Hu Jintao in first place and US President Barack Obama in second.