Who is Who in Iran?

The Supreme Leader is the most powerful official in the Islamic Republic.

The Supreme Leader, whose position is inspired by Khomeini’s Guardianship of the Jurist theory, is the most powerful official in the Islamic Republic. He controls the armed forces and the security and intelligence apparatuses, and he makes foreign policy decisions. He is appointed by the Assembly of Experts for life. He appoints half of the members of the Council of Guardians, the head of the judiciary, members of the Expediency Council, the head of radio and television networks, and the commanders of the police and military forces. This position has been occupied by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei since Ayatollah Khomeini’s death in 1989.

The Guardian Council

It consists of 12 members, half of them are appointed by the Supreme Leaderwhile the other half is appointed by the head of the judiciary then approved by the parliament. The Council’s role is ensuring the consistency of laws with Shari’a. it a responsible for qualifying presidential and parliamentary candidates. The Council of Guardians serves a six-year term.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

He is the sixth president of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Before becoming president, Ahmadinejad was mayor of Tehran. His success in the 2005 presidential election came as a surprise to many observer, given that his challenger was the prominent political figure Ayatollah Rafsanjani.

Despite being the first non-clerical president since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, Ahmadinejad has pursued what is perceived as radical policies.The hard-line president has been harshly criticized for his government’s economic performance.

It is important to note that the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran is chosen every four years by popular vote,  and he can serve two successive terms only. The president, who has eight vices, is the second-highest ranking official in Iran.  

Ahmadinejad’s landslide victory in the 2009 presidential elections has resulted in days of unrest on the streets of Tehran.

Mirhossein Mousavi

He is a painter and architect by profession, and he is currently the president of the Iranian Academy of Arts. He was prime minister under the presidency of Ayatollah Khamenei from 1981 to 1989. After the end of his term, the position of prime minister was abolished. Mousavi’s performance during the Iran-Iraq war brought him much admiration.

Mousavi, who was a presidential candidate in the 2009 presidential election, is widely supported by the Iranian youth. Winning only 34 percent of the votes, Mousavi lost the election for Ahmadinejad. However, Mousavi’s loss fuelled an unprecedented wave of popular protest, which resulted in the Council of Guardian’s decision to recount the votes in disputed areas.

The Conservatives

The major political grouping in this camp is the Combatant Clergy Association (Jame'eh-ye Ruhaniyat-e Mobarez).

In terms of social and political policy, they call for more censorship, and on the economic level, they are advocates of a laissez-faire economy.

The military’s increasing involvement in politics has created a division within the Conservative camp between those who have become known as Traditional Conservatives and Fundamentalists.

Notably, over the past four years, Ahmadinejad has marginalized the role of the Traditional Conservatives by denying them positions of power. The traditional Conservative camp include prominent political figures, such as the former parliament speaker Ali Akbar Natiq Nuri and Iran’s former chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani.

  

The Reformists

Iran's former president Mohammad Khatami casts his ballot during the presidential election, north of Tehran June 12, 2009.

Khatami, who achieved a landslide victory in the 1997 election, promised the Iranian people more freedom of expression and better economic conditions; however, the Conservatives were a stumbling block to him fulfilling any of his promises. Khatami had planned to run for the 2009 presidential election, but he withdrew his candidacy and lent his support to Mirhossein Mousavi.

Notably, Mehdi Karroubi, the presidential hopeful in the 2009 election, also belongs to the Reformist camp.

The Revolutionary Guard Corps

The Revolutionary Guards (Sepah-e Pasdaran) is an elite, highly-trained group of soldiers dedicated to the survival of the Islamic regime.  It is separate from Iran's standing army and it consists of more than 125,000 soldiers. The IRGC was established under a decree issued by Khomeini on May 5, 1979. The aim of establishing the IRGC was protecting the Revolution itself and helping the new government enforce the law during its early days.

Unlike other Iranian institutions, the IRGC is absolutely ultraconservative and it has huge financial resources. Exceptionally powerful, the IRGC has a very unique structural characteristic vis-à-vis other institutions: it is totally autonomous and independent.
 
Over the years, the IRGC has been consolidating its power and influence, which culminated in it being an autonomous political actor. Transcending its once-military role,  the IRGC today is an important player on the political arena from which  Conservative politicians seek support.

The Basij

It is a volunteer-based force that consists of males either below or above the military service age. Officially known as Nirouye Moqavemate Basij, the paramilitary force has a local organization in almost every city. With its approximately 20 million members, the Basij acts under the leadership of the Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The Basij force seemed to be gaining more importance under the presidency of Ahmadinejad. The role played by the Basij in securing votes for the hard-line president in the 2005 presidential election remains an open question.  Notably, the Supreme Leader’s representative to the Basij has been an advisor of Ahmadinejad.