Who was Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini?

The Ayatollah Khomeini (Ayatollah is a religious title,
not a name) was the leader of Iran from 1979 until his death in
1989.

The Ayatollah Khomeini was a very important religious
leader in Iran by the early 1960s.  At that time, he started to speak out against the
government of the country.  The country of Iran was ruled by a monarch called the Shah
of Iran who was supported by the United States.  The Shah's government was very
repressive and eventually forced Khomeini into exile in
1964.

By the late 1970s, people in Iran were getting very
upset with the Shah's rule.  The critics of the Shah were led by Khomeini from his
exile.  When the Shah was finally overthrown in 1979, Khomeini returned to Iran to take
power.

Khomeini is best known in the US for having led Iran
during the Iran Hostage Crisis of 1979 to 1981.