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Hassan Rouhani ( fa, حسن روحانی, Standard Persian pronunciation: ; born Hassan Fereydoun ( fa, حسن فریدون, links=no); 12 November 1948) is an
Iranian Iranian may refer to: * Iran, a sovereign state * Iranian peoples, the speakers of the Iranian languages. The term Iranic peoples is also used for this term to distinguish the pan ethnic term from Iranian, used for the people of Iran * Iranian lan ...
politician who served as the seventh
president of Iran The president of Iran ( fa, رئیس‌جمهور ایران, Rayis Jomhur-e Irān) is the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The president is the second highest-ranking official of Iran after the Supreme Leader. The president ...
from 2013 to 2021. He is also a
sharia Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the H ...
lawyer ("
Wakil In Islamic law, a wakīl (), in older literature vakeel, is a deputy, delegate or agent who acts on behalf of a principal. It can refer to an attorney, a diplomat or the custodian of a mosque or religious order. ''Wakīl'' is also one of the nam ...
"), academic, former diplomat and Islamic cleric. He has been a member of Iran's
Assembly of Experts The Assembly of Experts ( fa, مجلس خبرگان رهبری, majles-e khobregân-e rahbari), also translated as the Assembly of Experts of the Leadership or as the Council of Experts, is the deliberative body empowered to appoint the Supreme ...
since 1999. He was a member of the
Expediency Council The Expediency Discernment Council of the System ( fa, مجمع تشخیص مصلحت نظام ''Majma'-e Taškhīs-e Maslahat-e Nezām'') is an administrative assembly appointed by the Supreme Leader and was created upon the revision to the C ...
from 1991 to 2021, and also was a member of the Supreme National Security Council from 1989 to 2021. Rouhani was deputy speaker of the fourth and fifth terms of the Parliament of Iran ( Majlis) and Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council from 1989 to 2005. In the latter capacity, he was the country's top negotiator with the
EU three The EU three, also known as EU big three, EU triumvirate, EU trio or simply E3, refers to France, Germany and Italy, a group that consists of the three large founding members of the European Union. It had also been used to refer to the grouping o ...
, UK, France, and Germany, on nuclear technology in Iran, and has also served as a
Shia Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, mo ...
mujtahid (a senior cleric), and economic trade negotiator. On 7 May 2013, Rouhani registered for the
presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The pre ...
that was held on 14 June 2013. He said that, if elected, he would prepare a "civil rights charter", restore the economy and improve rocky relations with
Western nation The Western world, also known as the West, primarily refers to the various nations and states in the regions of Europe, North America, and Oceania.
s. He also expressed official support for upholding the rights of ethnic and religious minorities. He was elected as
President of Iran The president of Iran ( fa, رئیس‌جمهور ایران, Rayis Jomhur-e Irān) is the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The president is the second highest-ranking official of Iran after the Supreme Leader. The president ...
on 15 June, defeating
Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...
mayor
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf or Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf ( fa, محمد باقر قالیباف, born 23 August 1961) is an Iranian conservative politician, former military officer, and current Speaker of the Parliament of Iran since 2020. He held off ...
and four other candidates. He took office on 3 August 2013. In 2013, ''Time'' magazine named him in its list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. Rouhani is frequently described as a centrist and reformist. In domestic policy, he encourages personal freedom, free access to information, and has improved women's rights by appointing female foreign ministry spokespeople. He has also improved Iran's diplomatic relations with other countries through exchanging conciliatory letters. Rouhani won
re-election The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seeking re-ele ...
in the 2017 election with 23,636,652 votes (57.1%). He became the third Iranian President, after Mohammad Khatami and
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ( fa, محمود احمدی‌نژاد, Mahmūd Ahmadīnežād ), born Mahmoud Sabbaghian ( fa, محمود صباغیان, Mahmoud Sabbāghyān, 28 October 1956),
, to win a presidential victory as an incumbent with an increased electoral mandate. Although Rouhani originally had the support of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei during his second term, their relationship went downward as Khamenei criticized Rouhani for presumably being too soft in negotiations with the West over the
Iran nuclear agreement The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA; fa, برنامه جامع اقدام مشترک , barnāmeye jāme'e eqdāme moshtarak (, ''BARJAM'')), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal or Iran deal, is an agreement on the Iranian nuclear ...
. After his second term, Rouhani was not appointed to any senior role by Khamenei and did not meet with him again until 2021.


Early life and education

Hassan Rouhani (born Hassan Fereydoun) was born on 12 November 1948 in
Sorkheh Sorkheh ( fa, سرخه, also Romanized as Surkheh; in sqo, سور ''Sūr''; literally "the red one") is a city in and the capital of Sorkheh County, in Semnan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 9,062, in 2,686 families. Sor ...
, near Semnan, in a religious Persian family. His father, Haj Asadollah Fereydoun (died 2011), had a spice shop in Sorkheh and his mother lived in Semnan until her death in 2015 with her daughters and sons-in-law. Asadollah Fereydoun is reported to have been politically active against
Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi Mohammad Reza Pahlavi ( fa, محمدرضا پهلوی, ; 26 October 1919 – 27 July 1980), also known as Mohammad Reza Shah (), was the last ''Shah'' (King) of the Imperial State of Iran from 16 September 1941 until his overthrow in the Irani ...
, the
Shah of Iran This is a list of monarchs of Persia (or monarchs of the Iranic peoples, in present-day Iran), which are known by the royal title Shah or Shahanshah. This list starts from the establishment of the Medes around 671 BCE until the deposition of th ...
, and arrested first in 1962, and then more than twenty times before the
Iranian Revolution The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynas ...
in 1979. Rouhani started religious studies in 1960. First at Semnan Seminary before moving on to the
Qom Seminary The Qom Seminary () is the largest Islamic seminary (''hawza'') in Iran, established in 1922 by Grand Ayatollah Abdul-Karim Haeri Yazdi in Qom. It trains Usuli scholars. History Although big Shi'a academies existed in Qom dating back as earl ...
in 1961. He attended classes taught by prominent scholars of that time including
Mostafa Mohaghegh Damad , location = , Title = Allameh , Period = , Predecessor = , Successor = , ordination = , post = , birth_date = , birth_place = Qom, Iran , dea ...
,
Morteza Haeri Yazdi Morteza Haeri Yazdi ( fa, مرتضی حائری یزدی; October 12, 1916 – March 16, 1986) was the son of Shia Islam Faqīh Abdul-Karim Haeri Yazdi. Education He attended seminary in Qom, and was educated by professors such as Mohammad- ...
,
Mohammad-Reza Golpaygani Grand Ayatollah Mohammad-Reza Golpaygani (March 20, 1899 – December 9, 1993) was an Iranian Shia Muslim and ''marja scholar and was born in 1899 in Gogad village near the city of Golpaygan, Iran. He was taught preliminary studies by his fa ...
, Soltani, Mohammad Fazel Lankarani, and Mohammad Shahabadi. In addition, he studied modern courses, and was admitted to the
University of Tehran The University of Tehran (Tehran University or UT, fa, دانشگاه تهران) is the most prominent university located in Tehran, Iran. Based on its historical, socio-cultural, and political pedigree, as well as its research and teaching pro ...
in 1969, and obtained a BA degree in Judicial Law in 1972. In 1973, Rouhani entered military service in the city of
Nishapur Nishapur or officially Romanized as Neyshabur ( fa, ;Or also "نیشاپور" which is closer to its original and historic meaning though it is less commonly used by modern native Persian speakers. In Persian poetry, the name of this city is wr ...
. Rouhani continued his studies at
Glasgow Caledonian University Glasgow Caledonian University ( gd, Oilthigh Chailleannach Ghlaschu, ), informally GCU, Caledonian or Caley, is a public university in Glasgow, Scotland. It was formed in 1993 by the merger of The Queen's College, Glasgow (founded in 1875) and G ...
in Scotland, and graduated in 1995 with an
MPhil The Master of Philosophy (MPhil; Latin ' or ') is a postgraduate degree. In the United States, an MPhil typically includes a taught portion and a significant research portion, during which a thesis project is conducted under supervision. An MPhil m ...
degree in Law with his thesis entitled ''The Islamic legislative power with reference to the Iranian experience'' and a PhD degree in
Constitutional Law Constitutional law is a body of law which defines the role, powers, and structure of different entities within a State (polity), state, namely, the executive (government), executive, the parliament or legislature, and the judiciary; as well as th ...
in 1999 for a thesis titled ''The Flexibility of Shariah (Islamic Law) with reference to the Iranian experience''. Rouhani's Caledonian research was initially supervised by Iranian lawyer and scholar
Sayed Hassan Amin Sayed Hassan Amin ( fa, سید حسن امین, born 28 November 1948) is an Iranian lawyer, philosopher, scholar, author and pro-democracy political figure. Early life and education Born in Sabzavar, Iran, Amin attended Tehran University at t ...
and later by Islamic law scholar Mahdi Zahraa. The website of the Center for Strategic Research, a think-tank headed by Rouhani, misattributed his doctorate to
Glasgow University , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...
rather than
Glasgow Caledonian University Glasgow Caledonian University ( gd, Oilthigh Chailleannach Ghlaschu, ), informally GCU, Caledonian or Caley, is a public university in Glasgow, Scotland. It was formed in 1993 by the merger of The Queen's College, Glasgow (founded in 1875) and G ...
and confusion ensued as a result on whether he was a graduate of either university, especially as he was known during his student years by his birth name "Hassan Fereydoun".
Glasgow Caledonian University Glasgow Caledonian University ( gd, Oilthigh Chailleannach Ghlaschu, ), informally GCU, Caledonian or Caley, is a public university in Glasgow, Scotland. It was formed in 1993 by the merger of The Queen's College, Glasgow (founded in 1875) and G ...
carried out an internal investigation to confirm Rouhani's alumnus status and after confirming it, it published Rouhani's theses abstracts and a video showing him being capped, as Scottish academic tradition provides, during the university's 1999 graduation ceremony.


Allegations of PhD thesis plagiarism

Allegations regarding Rouhani's plagiarism were first raised in 2013 when it was claimed that he had probably "lifted" sentences from a book by Afghan author
Mohammad Hashim Kamali Mohammad Hashim Kamali (Pashto/Dari: ; born 7 February 1944) is an Afghan Islamic scholar and former professor of law at the International Islamic University of Malaysia. He taught Islamic law and jurisprudence between 1985 and 2004. One author ...
.
Glasgow Caledonian University Glasgow Caledonian University ( gd, Oilthigh Chailleannach Ghlaschu, ), informally GCU, Caledonian or Caley, is a public university in Glasgow, Scotland. It was formed in 1993 by the merger of The Queen's College, Glasgow (founded in 1875) and G ...
, Rouhani's graduation school, argued that the sentences were both cited properly. The issue was raised again amid
2017 Iranian presidential election Presidential elections were held in Iran on 19 May 2017, the twelfth such election in Iran. Local elections were held simultaneously. Candidates' registration took place from 11 to 15 April 2017. Incumbent president Hassan Rouhani was eligible to ...
when a student campaign claimed that they had for the first time investigated Rouhani's whole thesis using plagiarism detection tool
iThenticate iThenticate is a plagiarism detection service for the corporate market, from Turnitin, LLC, which also runs Plagiarism.org. The service was launched in 2004 and is headquartered in Oakland, California. It is marketed to "publishers, news agencies, ...
and that chapters one through four of Rouhani's thesis had been plagiarized at least 39%, 43%, 40% and 82%, respectively. Ayatollah Ali Akbar Kalantari, a member of the
Assembly of Experts The Assembly of Experts ( fa, مجلس خبرگان رهبری, majles-e khobregân-e rahbari), also translated as the Assembly of Experts of the Leadership or as the Council of Experts, is the deliberative body empowered to appoint the Supreme ...
,
Shiraz University Shiraz University ( fa, دانشگاه شیراز ''Dāneshgāh-e-Shirāz'', formerly known as Pahlavi University دانشگاه پهلوی ''Dāneshgāh-e Pahlavi'') is a public university located in Shiraz, Fars, Iran, established in 1946. ...
faculty member and one of the alleged victims, said that "major segments" of Chapter 4 of Rouhani's thesis had been translated from his book without being referenced.
Reformist Reformism is a political doctrine advocating the reform of an existing system or institution instead of its abolition and replacement. Within the socialist movement, reformism is the view that gradual changes through existing institutions can eve ...
Sadegh Zibakalam Sadegh Zibakalam Mofrad ( fa, صادق زیباکلام, lit=honest eloquent-speaker; born 12 June 1948) is an Iranian academic, author and pundit described as Iranian Reformists, reformist and Neoliberalism, neo-liberal. Zibakalam is a professor ...
accused Rouhani's rival of politicizing the case right before the elections.
Mohammad Mehdi Zahedi Mohammad Mehdi Zahedi (born 1953 in Kerman) is an Iranian politician and was the former minister of science and technology in Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Mr. Zahedi was approved by Iran's parliament with the fewest supporting votes possible (supporters ...
, head of
Iranian Parliament The Islamic Consultative Assembly ( fa, مجلس شورای اسلامی, Majles-e Showrā-ye Eslāmī), also called the Iranian Parliament, the Iranian Majles (Arabicised spelling Majlis) or ICA, is the national legislative body of Iran. The P ...
's Commission on Education and Research, said that he had found major plagiarisms in chapter 4 of Rouhani's thesis and that the case would be investigated in Education and Research Commission. 50 student-run organizations as well as Shiraz University faculty professors asked Ali Akbar Kalantari to prosecute the case in separate letters.


Personal life

Rouhani married his cousin, Sahebeh Erabi (Rouhani), who is six years younger, when he was around 20 years old and has four children (one son and three daughters). Rouhani's wife changed her last name from "Еrabi" ( fa, عربی) to "Rouhani" some time after marriage. Born in 1954, she is not politically active. ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' and the ''
Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...
'' reported that Rouhani also had a fifth child, a son who has died in unknown circumstances. Based on a comment by
Alireza Nourizadeh Ali Reza Nourizadeh ( fa, علیرضا نوری‌زاده, born 24 June 1949 in Tehran) is an Iranian scholar, literary figure, journalist, political activist and an expert on Iranian contemporary history. Career Nourizadeh is a political refu ...
, some sources reported that he committed suicide "in protest of his father's close connection with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei". This claim, apparently originating from Nourizadeh's report in the Saudi-owned newspaper ''
Asharq Al-Awsat ''Asharq Al-Awsat'' ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, Aš-Šarq al-ʾAwsaṭ, meaning "The Middle East") is an Arabic international newspaper headquartered in London. A pioneer of the "off-shore" model in the Arabic press, the paper is often noted f ...
'', included the following text which allegedly came from the son's
suicide note A suicide note or death note is a message left behind by a person who dies or intends to die by suicide. A study examining Japanese suicide notes estimated that 25–30% of suicides are accompanied by a note. However, incidence rates may depe ...
: "I hate your government, your lies, your corruption, your religion, your double standard and your hypocrisy...I was forced to lie to my friends each day, telling them that my father isn't part of all of this. Telling them my father loves this nation, whereas I believe this to be untrue. It makes me sick seeing you, my father, kiss the hand of Khamenei." Rouhani has three sisters and a brother. Rouhani's brother,
Hossein Fereydoun Hossein Fereydoun ( fa, حسین فریدون, born in 1957) is an Iranian politician. Fereydoun is brother and aide to the President Hassan Rouhani, described as his “eyes and ears” in the negotiations leading to the Joint Comprehensive Plan ...
, is also a diplomat and politician, a former governor, ambassador, and former Vice Minister of Intelligence. He was Rouhani's representative to
IRIB The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB; fa, صدا و سيمای جمهوری اسلامی ايران, ''Sedā va Sīmā-ye Jomhūri-ye Eslāmi-ye Īrān'', , formerly called National Iranian Radio and Television until the Iranian rev ...
in arrangements for presidential debates.
Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani ( fa, اکبر هاشمی رفسنجانی, Akbar Hāshemī Rafsanjānī, born Akbar Hashemi Bahramani, 25 August 1934 – 8 January 2017) was an Iranian politician, writer, and one of the founding fathers of the Islami ...
, in a memoir dated 15 May 1982, mentions Hossein Fereydoun as the then governor of
Karaj Karaj ( fa, کرج, ) is the capital of Alborz Province, Iran, and effectively a satellite city of Tehran. Although the county hosts a population around 1.97 million, as recorded in the 2016 census, most of the county is rugged mountain. The urb ...
. Rafsanjani later briefly mentions Fereydoon in a memoir dated 31 March 1984: "In Karaj, something has happened about Mr. Ferydoon Rouhani."


Name

He was born Hassan Fereydoun (or
Fereydun use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinates = , burial_place ...
, in reference to a just king in
Persian mythology Persian mythology or Iranian mythology (Persian:اساطیرشناسی ایرانی) is the body of the myths originally told by ancient Persians and other Iranian peoples, and a genre of Ancient Persian folklore. These stories concern the origi ...
, fa, ‌حسن فریدون, ) and later changed his last name to '' Rouhani'', which means 'spiritual' or 'cleric'; also
transliterated Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one script to another that involves swapping letters (thus '' trans-'' + '' liter-'') in predictable ways, such as Greek → , Cyrillic → , Greek → the digraph , Armenian → or ...
as ''Rowhani'', ''Ruhani'', or ''Rohani''). It is not clear when he officially changed his last name. He was named as "Hassan Fereydoun Rouhani" ( fa, links=no, حسن فریدون روحانی) in a list of
Majlis ( ar, المجلس, pl. ') is an Arabic term meaning "sitting room", used to describe various types of special gatherings among common interest groups of administrative, social or religious nature in countries with linguistic or cultural conne ...
representatives on 5 July 1981, while photos of his identification card (in Persian transliteration: ) taken around his presidential campaign in 2013 only say "Rouhani" is his last name.


Political activities before the Iranian Revolution

As a young cleric, Hassan Rouhani started his political activities by following the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini during the beginning of the Iranian Islamist movement. In 1965, he began traveling throughout Iran making speeches against the government of the
Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi Mohammad Reza Pahlavi ( fa, محمدرضا پهلوی, ; 26 October 1919 – 27 July 1980), also known as Mohammad Reza Shah (), was the last ''Shah'' (King) of the Imperial State of Iran from 16 September 1941 until his overthrow in the Irani ...
, the
Shah Shah (; fa, شاه, , ) is a royal title that was historically used by the leading figures of Iranian monarchies.Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 (1989) It was also used by a variety of ...
(king) of Iran. During those years he was arrested many times and was banned from delivering public speeches. In November 1977, during a public ceremony held at Tehran's Ark Mosque to commemorate the death of Mostafa Khomeini (the elder son of the Ayatollah Khomeini), Rouhani used the title "Imam" for the Ayatollah Khomeini, the then exiled leader of the Islamist movement, for the first time. It has been suggested that the title has been used for Khomeini by others before, including by the
Grand Ayatollah Marji ( ar, مرجع, transliteration: ''marjiʿ''; plural: ''marājiʿ''), literally meaning "source to follow" or "religious reference", is a title given to the highest level of Twelver Shia authority, a Grand Ayatollah with the authority giv ...
Mohammad Baqir al-Sadr Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr ( ar, آية الله العظمى السيد محمد باقر الصدر; 1 March 1935 – 9 April 1980), also known as al-Shahīd al-Khāmis (the fifth martyr), was an Iraqi philosopher, and the ideological founde ...
, although Rouhani was influential in publicizing the title. Since he was under surveillance by
SAVAK SAVAK ( fa, ساواک, abbreviation for ''Sâzemân-e Ettelâ'ât va Amniat-e Kešvar'', ) was the secret police, domestic security and intelligence service in Iran during the reign of the Pahlavi dynasty. SAVAK operated from 1957 until prime ...
(Iran's pre-revolution intelligence agency), the Ayatollah Mohammad Beheshti and the Ayatollah Morteza Motahhari advised him to leave the country. Outside Iran he made public speeches to Iranian students studying abroad and joined Khomeini upon arriving in France.


Political career during the 1980s and 1990s


Early years of Islamic Republic

Following the 1979
Iranian Revolution The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynas ...
, Rouhani, who had been engaged in revolutionary struggles for about two decades, did his best to stabilize the nascent
Islamic Republic The term Islamic republic has been used in different ways. Some Muslim religious leaders have used it as the name for a theoretical form of Islamic theocratic government enforcing sharia, or laws compatible with sharia. The term has also been u ...
and as a first step, he started with organizing the disorderly Iranian army and military bases. He was elected to the Majlis, the
Parliament of Iran The Islamic Consultative Assembly ( fa, مجلس شورای اسلامی, Majles-e Showrā-ye Eslāmī), also called the Iranian Parliament, the Iranian Majles (Arabicised spelling Majlis) or ICA, is the national legislative body of Iran. The Pa ...
, in 1980. During five terms in the Majlis and for a total of 20 years (from 1980 to 2000), he served in various capacities including deputy speaker of the Majlis (in 4th and 5th terms), as well as the head of defense committee (1st and 2nd terms), and foreign policy committee (4th and 5th terms). Among responsibilities shouldered by him in the post-revolution era was leadership of the supervisory council of the
Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB; fa, صدا و سيمای جمهوری اسلامی ايران, ''Sedā va Sīmā-ye Jomhūri-ye Eslāmi-ye Īrān'', , formerly called National Iranian Radio and Television until the Iranian rev ...
(IRIB) from 1980 to 1983. In July 1983, while Rouhani was heading the council, the council members and Rouhani had conflicts with
Mohammad Hashemi Rafsanjani Mohammad Hashemi Rafsanjani ( fa, محمد هاشمی رفسنجانی; born 29 August 1942) is an Iranian politician who was a member of the Expediency Discernment Council from 1997 to 2012. He served as vice president in charge of executive aff ...
the then head of IRIB, which led to temporary replacement of Hashemi by first Rouhani and then immediately
Mohammad Javad Larijani Mohammad-Javad Ardeshir Larijani ( fa, محمدجواد لاریجانی; born ) is an Iranian conservative politician and former diplomat. He is currently a top adviser to the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in foreign affairs and secretary of High Co ...
. The conflict was resolved by the Ayatollah Khomeini intervening and insisting on Rafsanjani staying as the head of IRIB.


Iran–Iraq War

During the
Iran–Iraq War The Iran–Iraq War was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. It began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for almost eight years, until the acceptance of United Nations Security Council ...
, Rouhani was a member of the Supreme Defense Council (1982–1988), member of the High Council for Supporting War and headed its executive committee (1986–1988), deputy commander of the war (1983–1985), commander of the Khatam-ol-Anbiya Operation Center (1985–1988), and commander of the Iran Air Defense Force (1986–1991). He was appointed as Deputy to Second-in-Command of Iran's Joint Chiefs of Staff (1988–1989). When
Robert C. McFarlane Robert Carl "Bud" McFarlane (July 12, 1937 – May 12, 2022) was an American Marine Corps officer who served as National Security Advisor to President Ronald Reagan from 1983 to 1985. Within the Reagan administration, McFarlane was a leading arc ...
, Reagan's national security adviser, came to Tehran in May 1986, Rouhani was one of the three people who talked to McFarlane about buying weapons. Eventually, this weapons sale became known as the
Iran–Contra affair The Iran–Contra affair ( fa, ماجرای ایران-کنترا, es, Caso Irán–Contra), often referred to as the Iran–Contra scandal, the McFarlane affair (in Iran), or simply Iran–Contra, was a political scandal in the United States ...
. At the end of the war, Hassan Rouhani was awarded the second-grade ''Fath'' (Victory) Medal along with a group of commanders of the Iranian Army and the
Revolutionary Guards The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC; fa, سپاه پاسداران انقلاب اسلامی, Sepāh-e Pāsdārān-e Enghelāb-e Eslāmi, lit=Army of Guardians of the Islamic Revolution also Sepāh or Pasdaran for short) is a branch o ...
. In another ceremony on the occasion of the liberation of Khoramshahr, he and a group of other officials and military commanders who were involved in the war with Iraq were awarded first-grade ''Nasr'' Medal by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ayatollah Khamenei.


After the war

Rouhani was offered and turned down the post of Minister of Intelligence of Iran in 1989. After the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran was amended and the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) came into being up to the present time, he has been representative of the Supreme Leader,
Ayatollah Khamenei Sayyid Ali Hosseini Khamenei ( fa, سید علی حسینی خامنه‌ای, ; born 19 April 1939) is a Twelver Shia ''marja and the second and current Supreme Leader of Iran, in office since 1989. He was previously the third president o ...
, at the council. Rouhani was the first secretary of the SNSC and kept the post for 16 years from 1989 to 2005. He was also national security advisor – to President
Hashemi Al-Hashimi, also transliterated Al-Hashemi ( ar, الهاشمي), Hashemi, Hashimi or Hashmi ( fa, هاشمی) is an Arabic, Arabian, and Persian surname.Khatami Sayyid Mohammad Khatami ( fa, سید محمد خاتمی, ; born 14 October 1943) is an Iranian politician who served as the fifth president of Iran from 3 August 1997 to 3 August 2005. He also served as Iran's Minister of Culture from 1982 t ...
– for 13 years from 1989 to 1997 and from 2000 to 2005. In 1991, Rouhani was appointed to the
Expediency Council The Expediency Discernment Council of the System ( fa, مجمع تشخیص مصلحت نظام ''Majma'-e Taškhīs-e Maslahat-e Nezām'') is an administrative assembly appointed by the Supreme Leader and was created upon the revision to the C ...
and has kept that post up to the present time. He heads the Political, Defense, and Security Committee of the Expediency Council. After the
Iran student protests, July 1999 The Iranian student protests of July 1999 (also known as 18th of Tir and Kuye Daneshgah Disaster ( fa, فاجعه کوی دانشگاه) in Iran) (7–13 July)
he, as secretary of Supreme National Security Council, stated in a pro-government rally that "At dusk yesterday we received a decisive revolutionary order to crush mercilessly and monumentally any move of these opportunist elements wherever it may occur. From today our people shall witness how in the arena our law enforcement force . . . shall deal with these opportunists and riotous elements, if they simply dare to show their faces." and led the crackdown. In the midterm elections for the third term of the
Assembly of Experts The Assembly of Experts ( fa, مجلس خبرگان رهبری, majles-e khobregân-e rahbari), also translated as the Assembly of Experts of the Leadership or as the Council of Experts, is the deliberative body empowered to appoint the Supreme ...
which was held on 18 February 2000, Rouhani was elected to the
Assembly of Experts The Assembly of Experts ( fa, مجلس خبرگان رهبری, majles-e khobregân-e rahbari), also translated as the Assembly of Experts of the Leadership or as the Council of Experts, is the deliberative body empowered to appoint the Supreme ...
from Semnan Province. He was elected as Tehran Province's representative to the Assembly's fourth term in 2006 and is still serving in that capacity. He was the head of the political and social committee of the assembly of experts (from 2001 to 2006), member of the presiding board, and head of Tehran office of the secretariat of the assembly (from 2006 to 2008). On 5 March 2013, he was elected as a member of the Assembly's "Commission for investigating ways of protecting and guarding
Velayat-e Faqih The Guardianship or Governance/''Wilāyat'' of/by an Islamic Jurist/''Faqīh'' ( fa, , Velâyat-e Faqih; ar, وِلاَيَةُ ٱلْفَقِيهِ, Wilāyat al-Faqīh), is a concept in Twelver Shia Islamic law which holds that until the re ...
". In addition to executive posts, Rouhani kept up his academic activities. From 1995 to 1999, he was a member of the board of trustees of Tehran Universities and North Region. Rouhani has been running the Center for Strategic Research since 1991. He is the managing editor of three academic and research quarterlies in Persian and English, which include ''Rahbord'' (Strategy), ''Foreign Relations'', and the ''Iranian Review of Foreign Affairs''.


Nuclear dossier

Rouhani was secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) for 16 years. His leading role in the nuclear negotiations which brought him the nickname of "Diplomat Sheikh", first given to him by the nascent '' Sharq'' newspaper in November 2003 and was frequently repeated after that by domestic and foreign Persian-speaking media. His career at the council began under President
Hashemi Rafsanjani Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani ( fa, اکبر هاشمی رفسنجانی, Akbar Hāshemī Rafsanjānī, born Akbar Hashemi Bahramani, 25 August 1934 – 8 January 2017) was an Iranian peoples, Iranian politician, writer, and one of the founding fath ...
and continued under his successor, President
Khatami Sayyid Mohammad Khatami ( fa, سید محمد خاتمی, ; born 14 October 1943) is an Iranian politician who served as the fifth president of Iran from 3 August 1997 to 3 August 2005. He also served as Iran's Minister of Culture from 1982 t ...
. Heinonen, former senior IAEA official, said that Rouhani used to boast of how he had used talks with Western powers to "buy time to advance Iran's programme." His term as Iran's top nuclear negotiator, however, was limited to 678 days (from 6 October 2003 to 15 August 2005). That period began with international revelations about Iran's nuclear energy program and adoption of a strongly worded resolution by the
International Atomic Energy Agency The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. It was established in 1957 ...
(IAEA). In June 2004, the board of governors of the IAEA issued a statement which was followed by a resolution in September of the same year, which focused on Iran's nuclear case with the goal of imposing difficult commitments on Iran. That development was concurrent with the victory of the United States in Iraq war and escalation of war rhetoric in the region. The international community was experiencing unprecedented tensions as a result of which Iran's nuclear advances were considered with high sensitivity. As tensions increased and in view of the existing differences between Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Atomic Energy Organization, a proposal was put forth by the foreign minister, Kamal Kharazi, which was accepted by the president and other Iranian leaders. According to that proposal, a decision was made to establish a politically, legally, and technically efficient nuclear team with Hassan Rouhani in charge. The team was delegated with special powers in order to formulate a comprehensive plan for Iran's interactions with the IAEA and coordination among various concerned organizations inside the country. Therefore, on the order of President Khatami with the confirmation of Ali Khamenei, Hassan Rouhani took charge of Iran's nuclear case on 6 October 2003. Subsequently, negotiations between Iran and three European states started at Saadabad in
Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...
and continued in later months in
Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
, Geneva and Paris. Rouhani and his team, whose members had been introduced by Velayati and Kharazi as the best diplomats in the Iranian Foreign Ministry, based their efforts on dialogue and confidence building due to political and security conditions. As a first step, they prevented further escalation of accusations against Iran in order to prevent reporting Iran's nuclear case to the
United Nations Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the Organs of the United Nations, six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international security, international peace and security, recommending the admi ...
. Therefore, and for the purpose of confidence building, certain parts of Iran's nuclear activities were voluntarily suspended at several junctures. In addition to building confidence, insisting on Iran's rights, reducing international pressures and the possibility of war, and preventing Iran's case from being reported to the UN Security Council, Iran succeeded in completing its
nuclear fuel cycle The nuclear fuel cycle, also called nuclear fuel chain, is the progression of nuclear fuel through a series of differing stages. It consists of steps in the ''front end'', which are the preparation of the fuel, steps in the ''service period'' in w ...
and took groundbreaking steps. However, decisions made by the nuclear team under the leadership of Rouhani were criticized by certain circles in later years. Following the election of
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ( fa, محمود احمدی‌نژاد, Mahmūd Ahmadīnežād ), born Mahmoud Sabbaghian ( fa, محمود صباغیان, Mahmoud Sabbāghyān, 28 October 1956),
as president, Rouhani resigned his post as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council after 16 years on 15 August 2005, and was succeeded by
Ali Larijani Ali Ardeshir Larijani ( fa, علی لاریجانی, ; born 3 June 1957) is an Iranian conservative politician, philosopher and former military officer in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, who served as the Speaker of the Parliament of Iran ...
as the new secretary who also took charge of Iran's nuclear case. Larijani, likewise, could not get along with the policies of the new government and resigned his post on 20 October 2007, to be replaced by
Saeed Jalili Saeed Jalili ( fa, سعید جلیلی; born 1 September 1965) is an Iranian conservative politician and diplomat who was secretary of the Supreme National Security Council from 2007 to 2013. He is currently member of the Expediency Discernment ...
. Rouhani then was appointed by the Supreme Leader as his representative at the SNSC.


Presidential campaigns


2013 presidential election

Rouhani was considered a leading candidate in the June election because of his centrist views yet close ties to Iran's ruling clerics and the
Green Movement Green politics, or ecopolitics, is a political ideology that aims to foster an ecologically sustainable society often, but not always, rooted in environmentalism, nonviolence, social justice and grassroots democracy. Wall 2010. p. 12-13. It be ...
. He announced his presidential candidacy on 11 March 2013 and registered as a presidential candidate on 7 May. Amid the run-up to the election, former presidents Mohammad Khatami and
Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani ( fa, اکبر هاشمی رفسنجانی, Akbar Hāshemī Rafsanjānī, born Akbar Hashemi Bahramani, 25 August 1934 – 8 January 2017) was an Iranian politician, writer, and one of the founding fathers of the Islami ...
, together with
reformists Reformism is a political doctrine advocating the reform of an existing system or institution instead of its abolition and replacement. Within the socialist movement, reformism is the view that gradual changes through existing institutions can eve ...
supported Rouhani on the presidential race after pro-reform candidate
Mohammad Reza Aref Mohammad Reza Aref ( fa, محمدرضا عارف, born 19 December 1951) is an Iranian engineer, academic and reformist politician who was the parliamentary leader of reformists' Hope fraction in the Iranian Parliament, representing Tehran, Rey, S ...
dropped out of the presidential race after Khatami advised him to quit in favor of Rouhani. On 10 June,
Mehr news agency The Mehr News Agency (MNA; ''Xabâr-gozâri Mehr''; "Mehr News Agency") is a semi-official news agency of the Iranian government. It is headquartered in Tehran, and is owned by the Islamic Ideology Dissemination Organization (IIDO). History and ...
and
Fars news agency The Fars News Agency is a news agency in Iran managed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), an armed wing loyal to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. While it describes itself as "Iran's leading independent news agency", it is widely descr ...
, suggested that Rouhani might be disqualified prior to the election and ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'', in an editorial, predicted that Rouhani "will not be allowed to win". On 15 June 2013, Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar announced the results of the election, with a total number of 36,704,156 ballots cast; Rouhani won 18,613,329 votes, while his main rival
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf or Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf ( fa, محمد باقر قالیباف, born 23 August 1961) is an Iranian conservative politician, former military officer, and current Speaker of the Parliament of Iran since 2020. He held off ...
secured 6,077,292 votes. Rouhani performed well with both the middle class and youth, even garnering majority support in religious cities such as
Mashhad Mashhad ( fa, مشهد, Mašhad ), also spelled Mashad, is the List of Iranian cities by population, second-most-populous city in Iran, located in the relatively remote north-east of the country about from Tehran. It serves as the capital of R ...
and Qom (an important seat of Shia Islam and the clergy, many of whom surprisingly do not support conservatives) as well as small towns and villages. Rouhani's electoral landslide victory was widely seen as the result of the
Green Movement Green politics, or ecopolitics, is a political ideology that aims to foster an ecologically sustainable society often, but not always, rooted in environmentalism, nonviolence, social justice and grassroots democracy. Wall 2010. p. 12-13. It be ...
from the
2009 elections The following elections occurred in the year 2009. * Electoral calendar 2009 * 2009 United Nations Security Council election Caribbean * 2009 Antiguan general election * 2009 Aruban general election * 2009 Caymanian constitutional referendu ...
, with crowds chanting pro-reform slogans. Religious Iranians equally celebrated Rouhani's victory, demonstrating what analysts described as a thorough rejection of the policies of the conservative factions.


2017 presidential election

Rouhani saw off a strong challenge from hardline
Ebrahim Raisi Sayyid Ebrahim Raisolsadati ( fa, سید ابراهیم رئیس‌الساداتی; born 14 December 1960), commonly known as Ebrahim Raisi ( fa, ابراهیم رئیسی ), is an Iranian principlist politician, Muslim jurist, and the eight ...
at the 2017 election, a fellow cleric with radically different politics, who stirred up populist concerns about the sluggish economy, lambasted Rouhani for seeking foreign investment and appealed to religious conservatives. He had gathered momentum as conservatives keen to win back control of the government coalesced behind Raisi's initially lacklustre campaign. His other rivals were
Mostafa Mir-Salim Sayyid Mostafa Agha Mirsalim (born 10 June 1947) is an Iranian engineer and conservative politician. He is currently member of the Expediency Discernment Council and also a member of Islamic Consultative Assembly. He was a presidential candidate ...
and
Mostafa Hashemitaba Mostafa Hashemitaba ( fa, مصطفی هاشمی‌طبا; born 22 May 1946) is an Iranian reformist politician. Hashemitaba served as Iran's minister of industries and vice president, as well as head of National Olympic Committee of Iran. He is de ...
. Rouhani ultimately won the election in a landslide, providing a ringing endorsement of his efforts to re-engage with the West and offer greater freedoms. He received 23,636,652 of the votes, in an election that had 73.07% turnout.


Presidency (2013–2021)

In his press conference one day after election day, Rouhani reiterated his promise to recalibrate Iran's relations with the world. He promised greater openness and to repair the country's international standing, offering greater nuclear transparency in order to restore international trust. Revolutionary Guards Major General Mohammad Jafari criticised Rouhani's administration. "The military, systems and procedures governing the administrative system of the country are the same as before, ut ithas been slightly modified and unfortunately infected by Western doctrine, and a fundamental change must occur. The main threat to the revolution is in the political arena and the Guards cannot remain silent in the face of that." In May 2017, Rouhani was re-elected as president with 23.5 million votes. He was announced the winner on the day following the election. He received his presidential precept from his predecessor,
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ( fa, محمود احمدی‌نژاد, Mahmūd Ahmadīnežād ), born Mahmoud Sabbaghian ( fa, محمود صباغیان, Mahmoud Sabbāghyān, 28 October 1956),
on 3 August 2013 and entered
Sa'dabad Palace The Sa'dabad Complex ( fa, مجموعه سعدآباد – ''Majmue ye Sa’dābād'') is a 110 hectare complex built by the Qajar and Pahlavi monarchs, located in Shemiran, Greater Tehran, Iran. Today, the official residence of the President of ...
in a private ceremony. His work as president officially began on the same day at 17:00
IRDT Iran Standard Time (IRST) or Iran Time (IT) is the time zone used in Iran. Iran uses a UTC offset UTC+03:30. IRST is defined by the 52.5 degrees east meridian (geography), meridian, the same meridian which defines the Iranian calendar and is the o ...
. He was inaugurated as the seventh president of Iran on 4 August in House of the Parliament.


Cabinet

Rouhani announced his cabinet on 4 August. He had a ten-day mandate for introducing his cabinet members to the parliament but he did not use this. Then, parliament voted on his cabinet, which was scheduled on 14–19 August. Between three reformist politicians (
Mohammad Reza Aref Mohammad Reza Aref ( fa, محمدرضا عارف, born 19 December 1951) is an Iranian engineer, academic and reformist politician who was the parliamentary leader of reformists' Hope fraction in the Iranian Parliament, representing Tehran, Rey, S ...
,
Eshaq Jahangiri Eshaq Jahangiri Kouhshahi ( fa, ‌اسحاق جهانگیری کوهشاهی, ; born 21 January 1958) is an Iranian politician who served as the sixth first vice president from 2013 until 2021 in Hassan Rouhani's government. Jahangiri was the ...
or
Mohammad Shariatmadari Mohammad Shariatmadari (born 24 June 1960) is an Iranian politician and former Minister of Cooperatives, Labour and Social Welfare. He was in position of minister of Industry, from 2017 to 2018. He also served as minister of commerce from 1997 to ...
) that were likely for the vice presidency, Rouhani appointed former industries minister as vice-president. There were also many candidates for the ministry of foreign affairs:
Ali Akbar Salehi Ali Akbar Salehi ( fa, علی‌اکبر صالحی, ; born 24 March 1949) is an Iranian academic, diplomat and former head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, who served in this position from 2009 to 2010 and also from 2013 to 2021. He se ...
, Kamal Kharazi, Sadegh Kharazi,
Mohammad Javad Zarif Mohammad Javad Zarif Khansari ( fa, محمدجواد ظریف خوانساری, Mohammad-Javād Zarīf Khānsāri ; ; born 8 January 1960) is an Iranian career diplomat and academic. He was the foreign minister of Iran from 2013 until 2021 in th ...
and
Mahmoud Vaezi Mahmoud Vaezi ( fa, محمود واعظی, born 22 May 1952) is an Iranian engineer, politician and former diplomat. He was minister of communication from 2013 until 2017 and chief of staff of the president of Iran from 2017 to 2021. He obtaine ...
but Zarif became Rouhani's final nominee. Although several names were being circulated for the other ministerial posts before the final announcement, the office of president-elect denied these speculations. On 23 July 2013, it was reported that eight members of Rouhani's cabinet had been finalized: Jahangiri as first vice president, Zarif as foreign minister, Rahmani Fazli as interior minister, Tayebnia as finance minister, Dehghan as defense minister, Namdar Zanganeh as petroleum minister, Najafi as education minister, Chitchian as energy minister, Nematzadeh as industries minister, Hassan Hashemi as health minister and Akhondi as transportation minister. This become official after Rouhani presented the list of his ministry nominates to the parliament on his inauguration day. He also appointed
Mohammad Nahavandian Mohammad Nahavandian ( fa, ‌محمد نهاوندیان, born 2 February 1954) is an Iranian politician and economist who served as the Vice President for Economic Affairs. He was formerly Chief of Staff of the President of Iran, serving from 2 ...
as his chief of staff.


Domestic policy


Economic

The economic policy of Hassan Rouhani focuses on the long-term economic development of Iran. It deals with increasing the
purchasing power Purchasing power is the amount of goods and services that can be purchased with a unit of currency. For example, if one had taken one unit of currency to a store in the 1950s, it would have been possible to buy a greater number of items than would ...
of the public, economic growth, raising sufficient funds, implementation of the general policies of 44th Principle of the
Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran ( fa, قانون اساسی جمهوری اسلامی ایران, ''Qanun-e Asasi-ye Jomhuri-ye Eslâmi-ye Iran'') was December 1979 Iranian constitutional referendum, adopted by referendum on 2 ...
and improving the business environment in the short term. Rouhani believes that improving the economic conditions of the people should be accomplished by boosting the purchasing power of the people, reducing the
wealth gap There are wide varieties of economic inequality, most notably income inequality measured using the distribution of income (the amount of money people are paid) and wealth inequality measured using the distribution of wealth (the amount of we ...
. He also thinks that equitable distribution of national wealth and economic growth lead to all mentioned economic goals. He states that if
national wealth National net wealth, also known as national net worth, is the total sum of the value of a country's assets minus its liabilities. It refers to the total value of net wealth possessed by the residents of a state at a set point in time. This fig ...
was not created, poverty would be distributed. National wealth creation causes an increase in real
income per capita The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two equal groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of ...
and equitable distribution of wealth. His plan is targeted to increase direct and indirect assistance to low-income groups. Rouhani is urgently going to regenerate the
Management and Planning Organization of Iran Management and Planning Organization of Iran (MPO) is an organization of the Government of Iran. It was first established after the decision of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for terminating the Plan and Budget Organization (PBO) in 2007. In July ...
. His economic policies also comprise optimal distribution of
subsidies A subsidy or government incentive is a form of financial aid or support extended to an economic sector (business, or individual) generally with the aim of promoting economic and social policy. Although commonly extended from the government, the ter ...
, control of
liquidity Liquidity is a concept in economics involving the convertibility of assets and obligations. It can include: * Market liquidity, the ease with which an asset can be sold * Accounting liquidity, the ability to meet cash obligations when due * Liqui ...
and inflation, speeding economic growth and reducing import. He believes that inflation results in damaging effects on the economy of families and hopes to deflate that in '' Foresight and Hope Cabinet''. Rouhani plans urgent economic priorities such as control of high inflation, increasing purchasing power and cutting down high unemployment.


Culture and media

According to a March 2014 report by
Center for International Media Assistance The Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA) is an initiative of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). CIMA works to improve the development of independent media worldwide while working to strengthen the support for such develop ...
, since Rouhani takeover in 2013, "Censorship of the Internet has only gotten worse, but it's more and more clear that Rouhani does not have complete control over this process". Regarding internet censorship, he has stated: "Gone are the days when a wall could be built around the country. Today there are no more walls." He has also criticized
Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB; fa, صدا و سيمای جمهوری اسلامی ايران, ''Sedā va Sīmā-ye Jomhūri-ye Eslāmi-ye Īrān'', , formerly called National Iranian Radio and Television until the Iranian rev ...
for showing trivial foreign news, while ignoring pressing national matters. Rouhani also appeared to pledge his support for increasing
Internet access Internet access is the ability of individuals and organizations to connect to the Internet using computer terminals, computers, and other devices; and to access services such as email and the World Wide Web. Internet access is sold by Internet ...
and other political and social freedoms. In an interview, he said: "We want the people, in their private lives, to be completely free, and in today's world having access to information and the right of free dialogue, and the right to think freely, is the right of all peoples, including the people of Iran."


Human and women's rights

Rouhani has maintained a policy of not publicly addressing human rights issues, on which he may have limited powers. Rouhani is a supporter of
women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...
. In a speech after he was elected as the President of Iran, he said:
There must be equal opportunities for women. There is no difference between man and woman in their creation, in their humanity, in their pursuit of knowledge, in their understanding, in their intelligence, in their religious piety, in serving God and in serving people.
Rouhani's government appointed Elham Aminzadeh, Shahindokht Molaverdi and
Masoumeh Ebtekar Masoumeh Ebtekar ( fa, معصومه ابتکار; born 21 September 1960) was the former Vice President of Iran for Women and Family Affairs, from August 9, 2017, to September 1, 2021. She previously headed Department of Environment from 1997 t ...
as vice presidents; as well as
Marzieh Afkham Marzieh Afkham ( fa, مرضیه افخم) is an Iranian diplomat who served as the ambassador to Malaysia for four years. She is former spokeswoman and head of the Center for Public and Media Diplomacy in Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the ...
, the first female spokesperson for the foreign ministry. Rouhani has promised to set up a ministry for women. Many women's rights activists, however, are reluctant about a ministry for women; because they feel that this ministry may isolate women's issues. It has also been suggested that Rouhani will require a deputy minister position within each ministry to address gender issues and issues pertaining to women. In September 2013, eleven political prisoners were freed including noted human rights lawyer
Nasrin Sotoudeh Nasrin Sotoudeh ( fa, نسرین ستوده) is a human rights lawyer in Iran. She has represented imprisoned Iranian opposition activists and politicians following the disputed June 2009 Iranian presidential elections as well as prisoners sent ...
and Mohsen Aminzadeh. The move came just days before his visit to the United States for the
United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; french: link=no, Assemblée générale, AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN. Curr ...
. Critics say that little has changed in domestic policy since Rouhani took office. Iranian authorities executed 599 people during Rouhani's first 14 months in power, compared with 596 during the last year in office of his predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Iran has the highest number of executions anywhere in the world, apart from China. Nobel Peace Prize winner
Shirin Ebadi Shirin Ebadi ( fa, شيرين عبادى, Širin Ebādi; born 21 June 1947) is an Iranian political activist, lawyer, a former judge and human rights activist and founder of Defenders of Human Rights Center in Iran. On 10 October 2003, Ebadi wa ...
has criticized Rouhani's human rights record. She cited the increase in executions,
Abdolfattah Soltani Abdolfattah Soltani ( fa, عبدالفتاح سلطانی; born 2 November 1953) is an Iranian human rights lawyer and spokesman for the Defenders of Human Rights Center. He co-founded the group with Mohammad Seifzadeh and Nobel Peace Prize-winne ...
's hunger strike, and the continued house arrest of
Mir Hossein Mousavi ''Mir'' (russian: Мир, ; ) was a space station that operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, operated by the Soviet Union and later by Russia. ''Mir'' was the first modular space station and was assembled in orbit from 1986 to&n ...
and Mahdi Karroubi. An Iranian spokesperson said Ebadi's comments would end up provoking animosity towards Iran. In 2015, Rouhani appointed
Marzieh Afkham Marzieh Afkham ( fa, مرضیه افخم) is an Iranian diplomat who served as the ambassador to Malaysia for four years. She is former spokeswoman and head of the Center for Public and Media Diplomacy in Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the ...
and Saleh Adibi, as the first female since the 1979 (the second in history) and the first
Sunni Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...
Kurd ug:كۇردلار Kurds ( ku, کورد ,Kurd, italic=yes, rtl=yes) or Kurdish people are an Iranian peoples, Iranian ethnic group native to the mountainous region of Kurdistan in Western Asia, which spans southeastern Turkey, northwestern Ir ...
respectively, to hold office as ambassadors.


Foreign policy

Rouhani's foreign policy has been contained by the conservatism of
Iranian Principlists The Principlists ( fa, اصول‌گرایان, Osul-Garāyān, ), also interchangeably known as the Iranian Conservatives Open access material licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. and form ...
, who fear change, while also realizing it is necessary. Furthermore, Iran's foreign policy, which was deadlocked by the efforts of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, needs new predecessor by cautious and decisive efforts of Rouhani. The main task of Rouhani is only to develop dialogues between Iran and Political rivals including
P5+1 P5 may refer to: In science and technology * 311P/PANSTARRS, also known as P/2013 P5 (PANSTARRS), an asteroid discovered by the Pan-STARRS telescope on 27 August 2013 * P5 Truss Segment, an element of the International Space Station * Period ...
. This course can help lift sanctions that damaged the Iranian economy. In March 2015, Rouhani sent a letter to
President Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...
and the heads of the other five countries negotiating with Iran, explaining Iran's stance. He announced it on his Twitter account. The US National Security Council confirmed that the letter had been passed on to the U.S. negotiating team, but its contents were not released. Rouhani also spoke by phone with the leaders of all the nations involved in the negotiations, except for the United States.


Nuclear talks


United Kingdom

Rouhani met with
British Prime Minister The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern p ...
David Cameron David William Donald Cameron (born 9 October 1966) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2005 to 2016. He previously served as Leader o ...
, marking the first time since the
1979 Islamic revolution The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynas ...
that the leaders of Iran and the United Kingdom have met. On 20 February 2014 the Iranian Embassy in London was restored and the two countries agreed to restart diplomatic relations. On 23 August 2015 the embassy was officially reopened.


United States

Rouhani's visit to New York City in September 2013 was hailed as major progress in Iran's relations with the United States. He previously said that his government is ready to hold talks with the United States after thirty-two years. Rouhani denied reports that during his trip he had refused a meeting with U.S. President
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
, and felt more time was needed to coordinate such a meeting. On 27 September 2013, a day after the two countries foreign ministers met during the
P5+1 P5 may refer to: In science and technology * 311P/PANSTARRS, also known as P/2013 P5 (PANSTARRS), an asteroid discovered by the Pan-STARRS telescope on 27 August 2013 * P5 Truss Segment, an element of the International Space Station * Period ...
and Iran talks, Rouhani had a phone call with President Obama that marked two countries' highest political exchange since 1979. However, due to this phone call Rouhani was protested by conservatives who chanted "
death to America Death to America ( fa, مرگ بر آمریکا, translit=Marg bar Āmrikā; ) is an anti-American political slogan. It is used in Iran,Arash KaramiKhomeini Orders Media to End 'Death to America' Chant, Iran Pulse, October 13, 2013 Afghanistan, ...
" when he returned to Tehran. In February 2019, Rouhani condemned the United States for trying to topple Iran's ally, Venezuelan President
Nicolás Maduro Nicolás Maduro Moros (; born 23 November 1962) is a Venezuelan politician and president of Venezuela since 2013, with his presidency under dispute since 2019. Beginning his working life as a bus driver, Maduro rose to become a trade unio ...
. On 3 January 2020, the second most powerful person in Iran,
Qasem Soleimani Qasem Soleimani ( fa, قاسم سلیمانی, ; 11 March 19573January 2020) was an Iranian military officer who served in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). From 1998 until his assassination in 2020, he was the commander of the Quds F ...
, was killed by the United States, which considerably heightened the existing tensions between the two countries. Rouhani said that Iran "will take revenge". After Joe Biden won the presidential elections against
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
in November 2020, Hassan Rouhani stated that it was an opportunity for Biden's administration to "compensate for previous mistakes".


Syria

It is generally assumed that he will follow the ruling establishment in completely supporting
Bashar al-Assad Bashar Hafez al-Assad, ', Levantine pronunciation: ; (, born 11 September 1965) is a Syrian politician who is the 19th president of Syria, since 17 July 2000. In addition, he is the commander-in-chief of the Syrian Armed Forces and the ...
, Syria's contentious president, in the Syrian Civil War, as well as "strengthening the
Shia Crescent The Shia Crescent (or Shiite Crescent) is the notionally crescent-shaped region of the Middle East where the majority population is Shia or where there is a strong Shia minority in the population. In recent years the term has come to identify are ...
" that runs from southern Lebanon, through Syria, Iraq and into Iran. In his first press conference after winning the presidential election, Rouhani said that "the ultimate responsibility to resolve the Syrian civil war should be in the hands of the Syrian people."


Iraq

Rouhani has termed
Iran–Iraq relations Iran–Iraq relations ( Persian: روابط ایران و عراق ''Ravâbete Irân va Arâq''; Arabic: العلاقات العراقية الإيرانية ''Al-Halaqat Al-Iraqih Al-Iranyih'') are the diplomatic and foreign relations between the ...
"brotherly" and signed several agreements with Iraq. Right after the Northern Iraq offensive, Iran was the first country to send support for Iraq and is a "key player" in Military intervention against the ISIL.


Saudi Arabia

On Iran's relationship to Saudi Arabia, Rouhani wrote that during the Khatami administration, he, as the secretary-general of the National Security Council at that time, reached "a comprehensive and strategic agreement" with the Saudis, but that this agreement was not upheld during the Ahmadinejad's government. Specifically, while discussing the episode, he stated: Rouhani has criticized Saudi Arabian-led military intervention in Yemen, saying: "Don't bomb children, elderly men and women in Yemen. Attacking the oppressed will bring disgrace."


Israel

Rouhani has described
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
as "an occupier and usurper government" that "does injustice to the people of the region, and has brought instability to the region, with its warmongering policies", and a "cancerous tumor established by Western countries to advance their interests in the Middle East." When asked in an interview with CNN to clarify his opinion about the
Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...
, Rouhani replied: "... in general, I can tell you that any crime that happens in history against humanity, including the crime the Nazis created towards the Jews as well as non-Jews is reprehensible and condemnable. Whatever criminality they committed against the Jews, we condemn". The live translation of his statements included explicit mention of the Holocaust, leading to media reports that he had acknowledged its existence, in contrast to the persistent
denial Denial, in ordinary English usage, has at least three meanings: asserting that any particular statement or allegation is not true (which might be accurate or inaccurate); the refusal of a request; and asserting that a true statement is not true. ...
of his predecessor. However, Iranian state media contradicted this, accusing CNN of deliberate mistranslation. Independent translations, including one by the ''
Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'', supported the position that Rouhani had not explicitly accepted the Holocaust's existence. Rouhani termed the
peace agreement A peace treaty is an agreement between two or more hostile parties, usually countries or governments, which formally ends a state of war between the parties. It is different from an armistice, which is an agreement to stop hostilities; a surren ...
between
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
and the
United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
a "huge mistake" and warned the UAE against permitting Israel to have a secure presence in the
Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Persis, Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a Mediterranean sea (oceanography), me ...
.


Public image and perception

According to a poll conducted in March 2016 by ''Information and Public Opinion Solutions LLC'' (iPOS) among Iranian citizens, Rouhani had 75% approval and 12% disapproval ratings and thus a +54% net popularity, making him the second most popular politician in Iran, after
Mohammad Javad Zarif Mohammad Javad Zarif Khansari ( fa, محمدجواد ظریف خوانساری, Mohammad-Javād Zarīf Khānsāri ; ; born 8 January 1960) is an Iranian career diplomat and academic. He was the foreign minister of Iran from 2013 until 2021 in th ...
with +69% net popularity. Rouhani surpassed Hassan Khomeini (+52%), Mohammad Khatami (+43%) and
Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani ( fa, اکبر هاشمی رفسنجانی, Akbar Hāshemī Rafsanjānī, born Akbar Hashemi Bahramani, 25 August 1934 – 8 January 2017) was an Iranian politician, writer, and one of the founding fathers of the Islami ...
(+38%) who took the following places. The firm stated with 95% confidence that the margin of sampling error was ±3 percentage points.


Job approval

Rouhani began his presidency in November 2013 with approval and disapproval ratings near 58% and 27% respectively, according to ''Information and Public Opinion Solutions LLC'' (iPOS) which was assessing it on a quarterly basis. It gradually fell to 48% and he recorded a 33% disapproval rating in May 2015. His job approval rose after Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, according to a survey conducted by ''IranPoll'' for the ''University of Maryland's Center for International and Security Studies'' (CISSM), standing at 88% with a large majority (61%) expressing a "very favorable view" of him (up from 51% in July 2014) and a ±3.2 margin of sampling error. The poll also indicated Rouhani would have a "tough challenge" in maintaining the support due to the fact that people had high economic expectations from the deal, and it could become his Achilles' heel. ''iPOS'' recorded a 54% approval and 24% disapproval days after the deal in August 2015. The trend continued until February 2016, with 67% and 18% approval and disapproval ratings, marking his highest level since taking office.


Political positions

Rouhani is considered to be a moderate and pragmatic politician. In 2000, the Washington Institute for Near East Policy described him as "power-hungry". He was elected as president with heavy reformist support, and he pledged to follow through with reformist demands and to bridge divides between reformists and conservatives. During his 2017 Hassan Rouhani presidential campaign, 2017 reelection campaign, Rouhani's views moved more to the Left-wing politics, left and he fully aligned with the Iranian Reformists, reformist faction.


Electoral history


Publications

Having the rank of research professor at Iran's Center for Strategic Research, he has written many books and articles in Persian, English and Arabic, including the following: ;in Persian * ''Islamic Revolution: Roots and Challenges'' (), June 1997, * ''Fundaments of Political Thoughts of Imam Khomeini'' (), July 1999 * ''Memoirs of Dr. Hassan Rouhani; Vol. 1: The Islamic Revolution'' (), February 2008, * ''Introduction to Islamic Countries'' (), November 2008 * ''Islamic Political Thought; Vol. 1: Conceptual Framework'' (), December 2009, * ''Islamic Political Thought; Vol. 2: Foreign Policy'' (), December 2009, * ''Islamic Political Thought; Vol. 3: Cultural and Social Issues'' (), December 2009, * ''National Security and Economic System of Iran'' (), August 2010, * ''National Security and Nuclear Diplomacy'' (), January 2011, * ''Role of Seminaries in Moral and Political Developments of Society'' (), November 2011 * ''An Introduction to the History of Shia' Imams'' (), March 2012, * ''Age of Legal Capacity and Responsibility'' (), October 2012, * ''Memoirs of Dr. Hassan Rouhani; Vol. 2: Sacred Defense'' (), January 2013 * ''Narration of Foresight and Hope'' (), March 2013 * ''National Security and Foreign Policy'' (), May 2013 * ''National Security and Environment'' (), May 2013 ;in English * ''The Islamic Legislative Power'', May 1994 * ''The Flexibility of Shariah; Islamic Law'', April 1996 ;in Arabic * ''Comments on Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence); Lessons of the Late Muhaqqiq Damaad'' () (Chapter on Prayers []), November 2012 * ''Comments on Usul (Principles of Fiqh); Lessons of the Late Ayatollah Haeri'' () (Chapter on Academic Principles []), March 2013


See also

*Muhammad Kazim Khurasani *Mirza Husayn Tehrani *Abdallah Mazandarani *Mirza Ali Aqa Tabrizi *Mirza Sayyed Mohammad Tabatabai *Seyyed Abdollah Behbahani *Fazlullah Nouri


References


External links

; Official
Official presidential website

Official personal website
; Other * * * *
Profile
at the BBC
"Goodbye, Ahmadinejad; Hello, Rouhani"
Ben Brumfield, CNN, 17 June 2013
10 offices of Heads of State
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rouhani, Hassan Hassan Rouhani, 1948 births Living people Alumni of Glasgow Caledonian University Combatant Clergy Association politicians Deputies of Tehran, Rey, Shemiranat and Eslamshahr First Deputies of Islamic Consultative Assembly Iranian academics Iranian diplomats 20th-century Iranian lawyers Iranian memoirists Iranian nuclear negotiators Iranian people of the Iran–Iraq War Iranian revolutionaries Iranian scholars Iranian Shia clerics Islamic Republican Party politicians Members of the 1st Islamic Consultative Assembly Members of the 2nd Islamic Consultative Assembly Members of the 3rd Islamic Consultative Assembly Members of the 4th Islamic Consultative Assembly Members of the 5th Islamic Consultative Assembly Members of the Assembly of Experts Members of the Expediency Discernment Council Moderation and Development Party politicians Nuclear program of Iran People from Semnan, Iran People from Semnan Province People from Sorkheh, Semnan, Iran People involved in plagiarism controversies People of the Iranian Revolution Presidents of Iran Recipients of the Order of Fath Secretaries-General of the Non-Aligned Movement Twelvers University of Tehran alumni Qom Seminary alumni