Iran Vocab

President (2005-2013), Tehran's ultra-conservative mayor, Won a run-off vote in presidential elections in June 2005, defeating his rival, the former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, First non-cleric president in 24 years

88 man assembly of clerics elected directly by the people; broad constitutional interpretation responsibility; selects the Supreme Leader; has the right to dismiss Supreme Leader; must have a seminary degree

a religious leader among Shiite Muslims

Religion that is heavily persecuted in Iran

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

Traditional merchants. They assisted the clergy in revolution and are part of the black market. After the revolution, they were granted some political access and power.

Autonomous (directed by clerics/appointed by Supreme Leader) tax exempt charity organizations that control large amounts of money

Legitimizes the state, along with the 1989 amendments, and mixes theocracy with democracy

Aimed to purify the country from not only the Shah's regime, but also from secular value & behaviors, particularly those with western origins

Appointed body that mediates between the Majlis and the Guardian Council over legislative disputes. Biased towards the Guardian Council, as they share partial membership.

Language of Iran

A popular reform movement advocating the reordering of government and society in accordance with laws prescribed by Islam

Current Speaker of the Majles

Appointed body by Supreme Leader and Majles that vets candidates for office and can overturn legislation

supreme leader, president

Members of "The Party of God", an Iranian movement that happened during the Islamic Revolution. It's not a tightly structured organization, but a movement of loosely bound groups (most likely centered around a mosque).

Shi'a religious leaders who traced their descent to Ali's successors.

A reformist political party in Iran. It is sometimes described as the most dominant member within the 2nd of Khordad Front

Agreement between P5+1+EU and Iran on nuclear weapons that resulted in the relaxation of Western sanctions on Iran

Shi'ite justification of clergy rule over the government

Current supreme leader of Iran, as of 1989

Swept 1997 Iranian elections on a platform of reform and openness; appealed to a very young Iran, which began to revolt after 2 years of waiting for promised reform; still advocated greater tolerance and held more constructive diplomatic relations

Religious ruler of Iran following revolution of 1979 to expel the Pahlavi shah of Iran; emphasized religious purification; tried to eliminate Western influences and establish purely Islamic government.

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

was the democratically elected Prime Minister of Iran from 1951 until 1953, when his government was overthrown in a coup d'état orchestrated by the American Central Intelligence Agency and the British Secret Intelligence Service. An author

last prime minister of Iran; reformist president candidate in 2009 and his loss/the fraudulent election caused large protests; aka leader of the green movement

Political party in Iran following World War II, which opposed the monarchy and favored greater Iranian control over natural resources. Outlawed after Operation Ajax.

Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries

Son of Reza Shah, Shah of Iran from 1941 to 1951, and 1953 to 1979. Backed by America due to being pro-West. Fled after 1979 revolution.

Shah of Iran from 1925 to 1941, backed by Americans until he became a Nazi sympathizer, then was deposed by Anglo-Soviet invasion.

Central religious text of Islam

Eighth and current president of Iran, conservative hard-liner

President of Iran from 1989 to 1997, current head of the Expediency Council

A country that obtains much of its revenue from the export of oil or other natural resources.

events involving overthrow of Iran's monarchy and its replacement with an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Khomeini, the leader of the revolution

The militarized quasi-police force of the revolutionary government during the Iranian Revolution.

Seventh President of Iran from 2013 to 2021

Shah Pahlavi's secret police

Persian word for king, especially relevant to Pahlavi dynasty and pre-Khomeini Iran

Islamic law

minority branch of Islam; belief that only a descendant of Ali can be caliph.

Iranian military officer, considered to be the right-hand man on Ayatollah Khamenei, who was assassinated in 2020 by a US drone strike

believe that only the fourth successor (Ali, Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law) had the right to succeed the prophet - in Ottoman empire

Chief spiritual and political leader of Iran

A government controlled by religious leaders

The Iranian Communist party (post WWII) (Mosaddeq led this party)

The term used by the shah to describe reforms in Iran between the end of World War II and the downfall of his regime in 1979

Protests, led by Mousavi, after Ahmadinejad was declared the winner of the 2009 election after many accusations of election fraud

Ongoing protests in Iran after the death of Mahsa Amini, a young women taken into custody for wearing a hijab improperly. Largest protests since 1979 revolution.