There are two Iranian Grand Ayatollahs, Khomeini (former) and Khamenei (current), a title which Wikipedia describes as:
...a label provided to the highest level Shia authority...
See also: Are Ayatollahs Khomeini and Khamenei authorities in Shia Islam?
I just visited Iran's neighbouring country Azerbaijan, also a majority-Shia country, whose culture and laws contrast greatly with Iran. Azerbaijan seems far more relaxed than Iran, e.g., if we do a Google Image search for baku azerbaijan women
, we see women doing things that would not be legal in Iran. This leads me to the question:
Question: Do Ayatollahs Khomeini and Khamenei have influence outside of Iran?
I may be misinterpreting things here. E.g., I might be that Iranian laws are deduced by some process I'm unfamiliar with (my impression is that many Iranian laws are deduced based on fatawa from the Grand Ayatollahs). Or the difference in laws between the two countries may be for other reasons. I'm not sure.