APCG Iran

Comparative government

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

President of Iran from 2005-2013 who rolled back reforms and introduced more hardline conservative policies.

Assembly of Religious Experts

Governing body of Islamic clerics elected directly by the people; broad constitutional interpretation responsibility; selects the Supreme Leader; has the right to dismiss Supreme Leader; must have a seminary degree.

Basij

A loosely organized military that is formally part of the Revolutionary Guard, they gained international attention in the aftermath of the disputed presidential election of 2009 when opposition candidate, Mir-Hussein Moussavi, accused the Basij of brutality as they contained the demonstrations and arrested dissidents; means "mass mobilization" in Persian, and dates back to the Iran-Iraq War.

Bonyads

Parastatal foundations made in part from assets nationalized after the Iranian Revolution.

"Equality-with-difference" (Iran)

The Islamic Republic's name for its policies towards women. Divorce and custody laws follow Islamic standards that favor males. Women must wear hijab; "bad hijab" is the exposure of any body part except for the hands or face; Punishable by either 70 lashes or 60 days in prison. Women cannot leave the country without the consent of male relatives.

Faqih

Leading Islamic jurists who interpret the meaning of religious documents and sharia.

Fundamentalism

Literal interpretation and strict adherence to basic principles of a religion (or a religious branch, denomination, or sect).

Guardian Council

A committee created in the Iranian constitution to oversee the Majles (the parliament).

Velayat-e Faqih (Guardianship of the Jurist)

Theory of Islamic governance set forth by Ayatollah Khomeini, in which the just Islamic society is led by the highest religious jurist who is the final arbiter on all matters of governance.

Ali Khamenei

Current supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah since 1989.

Ruhollah Khomeini

Iranian religious leader and scholar, politician, and leader of the 1979 Iranian Revolution which saw the overthrow of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the late Shah of Iran. Following the revolution and a national referendum, Khomeini became the country's Supreme Leader—a position created in the constitution as the highest ranking political and religious authority of the nation, until his death.

Khordad Front

Coalition of reformist parties; the alliance of the Iranian Militant Clerics Society and the Islamic Iran Participation Front (reformist parties) that won the presidential election of 2000; the Second Khordad Front did not survive the Guardian Council's banning of many reformist candidates for the Majles election of 2004.

Majles (Majlis)

The Iranian parliament, from the Arabic term for "assembly."

National Front

Political party in Iran following World War II, which opposed the monarchy and favored greater Iranian control over natural resources. Led by Mohammed Mossadeq. Overthrown by joint British and American intelligence organizations during Operation Ajax.

Qanun

No sacred basis; body of statutes made by legislative bodies; passed by the Majles; law made by the people's elected representatives.

Rentier State

A country that obtains a hefty percentage of its income by exporting raw materials or leasing out natural resources to foreign companies.

Iran Revolution 1979

The fundamentalist Islamic revolution of 1979 that overthrew the monarchy in Iran and installed Ayatollah Khomeini as Supreme Leader.

Revolutionary Guard

Paramilitary force charged with defending the Iranian Islamic regime from domestic and internal enemies.

Hassan Rouhani

President of Iran from 2013-2021, conservative but also reformer, led the "Iran nuclear deal".

Sharia

Body of Islamic law that includes interpretation of the Quran and applies Islamic principles to everyday life.

Shia Muslims

Believe that the leader of the Islamic faith should be a direct descendant of the prophet Muhammad.

Sunni Muslims

Majority of Muslims; believe successor of Muhammad can be an elected caliph.

Supreme Leader (Ayatollah)

The Shia Islamic religious leader of Iran.

Theocracy

A government controlled by religious leaders.

White Revolution (Iran)

Ratified in 1963, these reforms eventually redistributed land to some 2.5 million families, established literacy and health corps to benefit Iran's rural areas, further reduced the autonomy of tribal groups, and advanced social and legal reforms that furthered the emancipation and enfranchisement of women. In subsequent decades, per capita income for Iranians skyrocketed, and oil revenue fueled an enormous increase in state funding for industrial development projects.