Iran Vocab

  • Theocracy – A government ruled by religious leaders or based on religious laws.

  • Supreme Leader – The highest authority in Iran, with control over the military, judiciary, and media.

  • Guardian Council – A group of clerics and jurists that approves laws and candidates for office in Iran.

  • Expediency Council – A council that resolves disputes between the Guardian Council and the Majles (parliament).

  • Majles – Iran’s parliament, responsible for making laws.

  • Assembly of Religious Experts – A group that selects and can remove the Supreme Leader.

  • Basij – A volunteer militia in Iran that enforces Islamic values and suppresses protests.

  • Shia Islam – A branch of Islam that believes leadership should come from descendants of the Prophet Muhammad.

  • Zoroastrian – A follower of Zoroastrianism, an ancient Persian religion.

  • Ba’hai – A religious minority in Iran that believes in unity and progressive revelation; often persecuted.

  • Farsi – The Persian language spoken in Iran.

  • Kurds – An ethnic group in Iran and neighboring countries, seeking greater autonomy.

  • Azeri – A Turkic ethnic group living in Iran and Azerbaijan.

  • White Revolution (1953) – A series of reforms by the Shah of Iran to modernize and westernize the country.

  • Islamic Revolution of Iran (1979) – The overthrow of the Shah and the establishment of an Islamic Republic led by Ayatollah Khomeini.

  • Velyat-e Faqih (jurist’s guardianship) – The idea that Islamic clerics should rule because they best understand Islamic law.

  • Marja – A high-ranking Shia cleric who provides religious guidance.

  • Bonyads – Charitable foundations in Iran that control large portions of the economy but lack transparency.

  • Islamic Revolutionary Guard – A military force separate from the regular army that protects Iran’s Islamic system.

  • “Dual Rule” (Iran-specific) – The system where both religious leaders and elected officials share power.

  • Ayatollah Khamenei – Iran’s current Supreme Leader since 1989.

  • OPEC – A group of oil-producing countries, including Iran, that coordinates oil production and prices.

  • Revolutionary Guard (Iran) – Another name for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, which enforces religious and political control.

Extra Credit Terms:

  • Rentier state – A country that relies on selling natural resources (like oil) rather than taxes for revenue.

  • Multimember district – A voting district where multiple representatives are elected instead of just one.

  • Shah – The title for a king in Iran before the 1979 revolution.

  • Unitary – A government system where power is concentrated at the national level rather than shared with local governments.

  • Separation of Power – The division of government responsibilities among different branches to prevent any one from becoming too powerful.

  • Checks and Balance – A system where different branches of government can limit each other’s power.

  • Brain drain – When educated and skilled workers leave a country for better opportunities elsewhere.

  • Welfare state – A government that provides extensive social services like healthcare, education, and financial aid to its citizens.