Saeed Jalili ( fa, سعید جلیلی; born 1 September 1965) 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 ...
conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
politician and diplomat who was secretary of the
Supreme National Security Council
Supreme National Security Council (SNSC; fa, شورای عالی امنیت ملی ''Showrāye Āliye Amniyate Mellī'' also ''Supreme Council for National Security'') is the national security council of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the current ...
from 2007 to 2013. He is currently member of the
Expediency Discernment 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 Co ...
.
He was also Iran's nuclear negotiator. He was previously deputy foreign minister for European and American Affairs. Jalili was an unsuccessful candidate in the
June 2013 presidential election, placing third.
He also ran in the 2021 presidential election but resigned in favour of Seyyed Ibrahim Ra'isi before the election.
Early life and education
Jalili was born in September 1965 in
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 ...
in northeastern Iran. He holds a PhD in political science from
Imam Sadeq University
The Imam Sadiq University is an Islamic private university in Tehran, Iran. Established in 1982, the goal of the university is to bridge the gap between Islamic researches and modern studies, especially humanities. Imam Sadiq was established on ...
and his doctoral thesis is entitled "The Foreign Policy of the Prophet Muhammad." After graduating, he served in 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 ...
as a member of the
Basij
The Basij ( fa, بسيج, lit. "The Mobilization"), Niru-ye Moghāvemat-e Basij ( fa, نیروی مقاومت بسیج, "Resistance Mobilization Force"), full name Sâzmân-e Basij-e Mostaz'afin ( fa, سازمان بسیج مستضعفین, "The ...
volunteers of the
Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution.
During the fighting he was injured severely, losing the lower portion of his right leg in 1986.
Upon this event, he earned the title of "living martyr".
He has taught
political science
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...
since 2000 in different intervals at
Imam Sadeq University
The Imam Sadiq University is an Islamic private university in Tehran, Iran. Established in 1982, the goal of the university is to bridge the gap between Islamic researches and modern studies, especially humanities. Imam Sadiq was established on ...
.
Career
Following the war, Jalili began working as a university lecturer at his
alma mater. In 1989 Jalili began working at the ministry of foreign affairs in addition to his teaching post.
[ From 1995 to 1996 he served as director of the inspection office at the ministry.] In 2001, he was appointed senior director of policy planning in the office of the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali 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 ...
.[ Jalili was also made a member of the Supreme National Security Council in 2002. Following the election of ]Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ( fa, محمود احمدینژاد, Mahmūd Ahmadīnežād ), born Mahmoud Sabbaghian ( fa, محمود صباغیان, Mahmoud Sabbāghyān, 28 October 1956), to the presidency
A presidency is an administration or the executive, the collective administrative and governmental entity that exists around an office of president of a state or nation. Although often the executive branch of government, and often personified by a ...
in August 2005, Jalili was appointed deputy foreign minister for European and American affairs.[ He was in office until October 2007.][ During the same period, he also served as an advisor to Ahmedinejad.]
On 20 October 2007, Jalili replaced 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 secretary of the council and became responsible for international negotiations over Iran's nuclear program. Jalili's term as secretary of the council ended on 10 September 2013 when Ali Shamkhani
Ali Shamkhani (Persian: , born 29 September 1955) is an Iranian two-star general. He is the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran.
Early life and education
Shamkhani was born on 29 September 1955 in Ahvaz, Khuzestan. His f ...
was appointed to the post. Immediately after leaving the office, he was appointed by the Supreme Leader Ali 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 ...
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 Co ...
as a member.
Views and activities
Jalili is a leading figure of the "neo-principalist" group in the Iranian political scene and a protégé of Mojtaba Khamenei
Sayyid Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei ( fa, سید مجتبی حسینی خامنهای; born 8 September 1969) is a son of Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran. He served in the Iran–Iraq War from 1987 to 1988.
He is considered by Euro ...
.[ A ]United States State Department
The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other n ...
cable released by WikiLeaks
WikiLeaks () is an international Nonprofit organization, non-profit organisation that published news leaks and classified media provided by anonymous Source (journalism), sources. Julian Assange, an Australian Internet activism, Internet acti ...
in 2008 described how a European Union official who met Jalili call him 'a true product of the Iranian revolution'." Mohammad Marandi, a professor at Tehran University
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 ...
, described Jalili as a tough negotiator who "believes strongly in Iran's nuclear program and its sovereign rights. He's not the sort of person to give major concessions."
In an interview with ''The Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
'' in 2006, Jalili defended Iran's plans to develop nuclear energy, noting that, under 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 ...
and before the 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 dyna ...
, US companies had contracts to build nuclear power plants in Iran.
2013 presidential candidacy
Jalili was a candidate in the 2013 presidential elections, announcing his candidacy on 22 March 2013. He was supported by Front of Islamic Revolution Stability
Front of Islamic Revolution Stability ( fa, جبههٔ پایداری انقلاب اسلامی, Jebha-ye pāydārī-e enqelāb-e eslāmī, also translated Persevering Front, Endurance Front and Steadfast Front) is an Iranian principlist politica ...
and also by Kamran Bagheri Lankarani
Kamran Bagheri Lankarani ( fa, کامران باقری لنکرانی; born 1965) is an Iranian physician and politician who was Minister of Health and Medical Education from 2005 until 2009.
Born in 1965, he finished medical school at Shiraz U ...
, the party's main candidate who declined his candidacy in favor of Jalili. His campaign Slogan
A slogan is a memorable motto or phrase used in a clan, political slogan, political, Advertising slogan, commercial, religious, and other context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose, with the goal of persuading members of the publi ...
was "A Pleasant Life". He received 4,168,946 and was ranked third, behind president-elect Hassan Rouhani
Hassan Rouhani ( fa, حسن روحانی, Standard Persian pronunciation: ; born Hassan Fereydoun ( fa, حسن فریدون, links=no); 12 November 1948) is an Iranian politician who served as the seventh president of Iran from 2013 to 2021. ...
and runner up 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 ...
.
Shadow Cabinet
Saeed Jalili in 2013, after the defeat in the elections, proposed the plan of the Shadow Cabinet to help the Hassan Rouhani government and compensate for its shortcomings. He has held several meetings to criticize the government and offer a solution. In early 2021, he met 19 members of parliament and explained a plan to reform the Budget
A budget is a calculation play, usually but not always financial, for a defined period, often one year or a month. A budget may include anticipated sales volumes and revenues, resource quantities including time, costs and expenses, environmenta ...
structure. Also, without they took the Petrochemical refinery development plan to the Larijani parliament (right-wing political opposition) and approved it, and the plan was communicated to the Rouhani government (left-wing political opposition) for implementation. Jalili explained the Shadow Cabinet is neither a party nor an organization, but a Discourse
Discourse is a generalization of the notion of a conversation to any form of communication. Discourse is a major topic in social theory, with work spanning fields such as sociology, anthropology, continental philosophy, and discourse analysis. ...
and it means that everyone must follow the process of developments, shadow by shadow to have a positive impact on the path of the Islamic Revolution.
2021 presidential candidacy
Before the last day of registration for the presidential election, he was considered one of the most likely candidates. Although Jalili had said he would not register if 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 ...
entered the election, with the flood of members and supporters of the established government such as Jahangiri, Larijani, Shariatmadari, Akhundi and Hemmati, it is conflict that he registered in the election individually or to support Raisi
Raisi ( fa, رئيسي, also Romanized as Ra’īsī; also known as Rīsī) is a village in Eshqabad Rural District, Miyan Jolgeh District, Nishapur County, Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of I ...
.
Personal life
Jalili is fluent in English and Persian. He married Fatemeh Sajjadi, a doctor of internal medicine, in 1992. They have one child, a son named Hamid. Jalili was a resident 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 ...
until 2004. He is known for his simple living and aversion towards formality. He drives his own car to work.
Books
* ''Foreign Policy of the Prophet of Islam'' ( fa, سیاست خارجی پیامبر اسلام)
* ''The Paradigm of Islamic Political Thought in Quran'' ( fa, بنیان اندیشۀ سیاسی اسلام در قرآن)
Influence
In 2009, Jalili was regarded as one of the 500 most influential Muslims by Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...
's Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding.
Quotes
*Conservatism
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilizati ...
is murder of slamicrevolution.
References
External links
2021 presidential campaign website
Interview
with The Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
FACTBOX: Iran's new atomic negotiator Saeed Jalili
from Reuters
Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world.
The agency was estab ...
Iranian Presidential Candidate Saeed Jalili Calls for Enrichment to 100 Percent
from the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (JCPA) is an Israeli research institute specializing in public diplomacy and foreign policy founded in 1976. Currently, the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs's research portfolio consists of five primar ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jalili, Saeed
1965 births
Living people
Imam Sadiq University alumni
Iranian Vice Ministers
People from Mashhad
Iranian nuclear negotiators
Front of Islamic Revolution Stability politicians
Candidates for President of Iran
Imam Sadiq University faculty
Representatives of the Supreme Leader
Volunteer Basij personnel of the Iran–Iraq War
Iranian amputees
Iranian politicians with disabilities