Iran
Modified from Mr. Caroddo’s Education Website at
http://caroddoapclasses.com/id4.html
ISLAM
FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM

Declaration of Faith (“There is no God but
God [Allah] and Muhammad is his
messenger”)

Prayer (5 times a day)

Alms to the poor

Pilgrimage to Mecca (once in one’s
lifetime)

Fasting during the holy month of
Ramadan.
1953 Coup
 In 1953, the Shah, with the support of the CIA,
overthrew the democratically elected prime minister,
Mossadegh
Pahlavi – “White Revolution”
 “White” to counter influence of “red” communists
 Land reform – government bought land from large
absentee owners and sold it to farmers at
affordable prices
 Encourage agricultural entrepreneurship with
irrigation canals, dams, & tractors
 Women’s rights (secularization)
Suffrage
 Restricting Polygamy
 Women allowed to work outside the home

Pahlavi - OIL & the Rent-seeking state
 Iran transformed into rent-seeking state under Pahlavi’s
because of increasing income from oil

Rentier Economy: heavily supported by state expenditure, while
the state receives “rents” from other countries
 Iran received increasing revenue from exporting oil and
leasing oil fields to foreign countries
 Although shah promoted import substitution policies by
1979 oil & associated industries provided 97% of foreign
exchange and majority of Iran’s GNP
 Oil revenue became so great government did not have to
rely on internal taxes to generate income, paid expenses
from oil profits

The people become unnecessary to the government in a rentier state
OIL
Abandoned gas pumps
in a U.S. city 1973
Line at gas station in the U.S. 1979
OIL
Highway in Tehran
Oil Refinery in Tehran
SOURCE OF U.S. OIL IMPORTS
Oil Production 2004
Million Barrels per Day









Former Soviet Union
Saudi Arabia
United States
Iran
Mexico
3.8
China
Norway
2.9
Venezuela
Iraq
9.1
8.8
5.4
3.9
3.3
2.7
1.5
Khomeini, Fundamentalism, & Revolution
 Islamic Fundamentalism
 Literal interpretation of Islamic texts
 Social conservatism
 Political traditionalism
 Resentment towards elites, US, and the Western
world

US was the “Great Satan”
 Velayat-e faqih (jurist’s guardianship)
 Senior clergy given authority over entire Shi’ia
community
Khomeini & the Islamic Republic
 Clerics consolidate power
 Popular support for regime high
 World oil prices rise again, allowing for social programs,
improvements in medicine & housing
 Iraq invades Iran, people rally around the government
 Charisma of Khomeini inspired faith in the government
 Khomeini dies in 1989, constitution amended
 Ali Khamenei succeeds Khomeini, does not have the same political
charisma as the Ayatollah
 Iran/Iraq war ends in 1988, country war-torn
 Oil prices drop in 1990’s
 Population begins to question authoritarian rule of the clerics
IRAN-IRAQ WAR
(1980-1988)
Iraqi President
Saddam Hussein
OIL
Khuzestan Province – Iran-Iraq War
1980-1988
Iraq’s Invasion of Kuwait – Gulf War
1991
Constitution of 1979
 Document & 40 Amendments (Some added in 1989)
 Mixture of theocracy and democracy
 Preamble reflects importance of religion
 Velayat-e faqih (Jurist’s guardianship)
 Gave broad authority to Khomeini and the clerics
Constitutional Amendments of 1989
 On April 24, 1989, while on his death bed, Khomeini appointed a 25-
member Reform Council (first Assembly of Religious Experts) to
appoint his successor and amend the constitution
 Khomeini died in June 1989
 The council named Ali Khamenei as Khomeini’s successor and made
several amendments to the constitution
Amendments of 1989
They eliminated the need for the Supreme Leader to be a marja, or
senior cleric, Khamenei was not a marja
 Eliminated the post of Prime Minister
 Created the Supreme National Security Council
 Increased the size of the Assembly of Religious Experts to 86
members
 Gave Assembly of Religious Experts authority to meet once a year
& determine if Supreme Leader was “mentally & physically”
capable of carrying out their duties
 Made the Expediency Council a permanent institution
 Constitution amendments approved by Iranian voters in
national referendum with 97% yes vote on July 28, 1989

Religion
 89% of Iranians are Shi’a Muslims
 10% are Sunni Muslim
 The constitution does not mention Sunnis and their legal status is
therefore unknown
 1% are combination of Jews, Christians, Zoroastrians, and
Baha’i



Constitution recognizes rights of religious minorities, many religious
minorities have left country since Islamic Revolution
Baha’i considered unholy offshoot of Islam and they have been
persecuted by Shi’ite governments.
Baha’i leaders have been executed, imprisoned, tortured, their
schools closed and property confiscated
Political Culture
 Authoritarianism (not totalitarianism) –
leaders claim to be all powerful, but do not interfere with every aspect
of the citizens lives
 Union of political & religious authority
 Shi’ism & Sharia – key components of everyday life
 Escape from European Colonialism and
Western influence
 Influence of Ancient Persia
Women & the Political System
 “Equality-with-difference” policy – instituted by the Islamic Republic
slants law favorably towards men on issues such as divorce and custody



Women must wear scarves and long coats in public
Women can not leave country without consent of male relatives
Women can be stoned for committing adultery
 Women allowed to get education in Iran and entrance into some
occupations



Expectations for better jobs and increased political rights among educated
women
Half of college students in Iran are women
Women make up 27% of the labor force
WOMEN IN IRAN
ISLAMIC DRESS CODES
Hijab (Head Scarf)
Worn in the West and Iran
Chador
Iran
Abaya
Saudi Arabia
Burqa
Afghanistan
Jilbab
Indonesia
Political Parties
 Islamic Coalition Party- conservative
 Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran – member of the
conservative alliance, party of current president Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad, who secured office in presidential election of
2005
 Islamic Society of Engineers-conservative
 Executives of Construction Party-centrist/reformist
Elections
 Citizens over 15 allowed to vote until 2007
 In 2007, eligibility age for voting changed to 18
 National elections held for the following:
 Assembly of Religious Experts
 Representatives to the Majlis
 President
 Elections to Majlis and President are by plurality,
winner-take all
Elections are done over two rounds
 First round narrows field down to 2 candidates

Iranian Presidential Election - 2009
 Only 4 candidates out of 476 men & women who applied
were approved by Guardian Council
 Election held on June 12, 2009 with incumbent Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad running against three challengers:



Mir-Hossein Mousavi
Mohsen Rezaee
Mehdi Karroubi
 Turnout was unexpectedly high, well over 50% and polls
had to be kept open until midnight
 Ahmadinejad announced as winner the next morning with
62% of vote to Mousavi’s 34%
 Protest immediately erupted (the Green Revolution) in
favor of Mousavi and claiming election fraud
Election of 2009
Iranian Presidential Election
 June 14, Mousavi files formal appeal of results with
Guardian Council
 June 15, Supreme Leader Khamenei announces
investigation of electoral results
 June 16, Guardian Council announces it will recount votes,
however, Mousavi states that 14 million ballots were
missing, allowing for a chance to manipulate the results
 June 29, Iran’s electoral board completes partial recount,
and concludes that Ahmadinejad won the election – this
leads to more protests
Interest Groups
Islamic Association of Women
 Green Coalition
 Workers’ House

Interest group for factory workers, have a political party as well,
Islamic Labor Party
 Hold a May Day rally every year, turned into protest in 1999
against conservative policies to water-down labor laws

Velayat-e faqih (Jurist’s guardianship)
 The principle instituted by Khomeini of overarching
authority for different government institutions:




Supreme Leader
Guardian Council
Assembly of Religious Experts
Expediency Council
 This authority is all-encompassing and is over whole
community based on their ability to understand shari’a and
their commitment to champion the rights of the people
Supreme Leader
 Position created for Khomeini, currently held by Ali Khamenei
 Powers of Supreme Leader:
 Elimination of presidential candidates
 Dismissal of the president
 Command armed forces
 Declares war & peace
 Appointment and removal of major administrators and judges
 Nominates six members of Guardian Council
 Appoints many non-governmental directors, such as radio/TV and semi-public
foundations
 Responsibilities of Supreme Leader:
 faqih – he is the leading Islamic jurist to interpret shari’a and religious documents
 Links three branches of government together
 “Determining the interests of Islam”
IRAN’S GOVERNMENT
SUPREME
LEADERS
Ayatollah
Khomeini
(r. 1980-1989)
Ayatollah
Khamenei
(r. 1989-present)
PRESIDENTS
Mohammed
Khatami
(r. 1997-2005)
Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad
(r. 2005-present)
GRAND AYATOLLAH ALI KHAMENEI
(Supreme Leader 1989-present)
Guardian Council
 12 members
 All Male
 6 members appointed by Supreme Leader
 6 members nominated by chief judge, approved by Majlis
 Serve 6-year terms
Responsibilities
 They represent theocratic principles within the government
 Review bills passed by Majlis to ensure they conform with shari’a

Guardian Council and Supreme Leader together exercise principle of jurist’s
guardianship (Make sure all democratic bodies adhere to Islamic laws &
beliefs)
 Power to decide who can compete in elections
Assembly of Religious Experts
 Expanded in 1989 to an 86 man house
 Directly elected by the people
 8 year terms
 Members originally required to have seminary degree
equivalent to a master’s, 1998 revision now allows nonclerics to stand for Assembly – candidates still subject to
approval by Council of Guardians
 Responsibilities
 Broad constitutional interpretation
 Elected Khomeini’s successor (Khamenei)
 Reserve right to remove supreme leader
Expediency Council
 Created by Khomeini
 Main purpose to “referee” disputes between the Guardian Council and
the Majlis
 Exerts authority over executive, legislative, & judicial branches of gov’t
 1989, Expediency Council passes some bills, and is institutionalized by
constitutional amendments
Currently consists of 40 permanent members
 It may originate its own legislation
 Not all members are clerics
 Appointed by Supreme Leader for five-year terms
 Collectively most powerful men in Iran

President & the Cabinet
 Iran is not a presidential system, therefore the executive branch does not





have the same authority as presidents in presidential systems such as U.S.,
Mexico, and Nigeria
President does represent highest official representing democratic principles
in Iran
Chief executive, highest state official after Supreme Leader
Directly elected every 4 years for a maximum of two terms
Constitution still requires the president to be a Shi’ite and uphold Islamic
principles
There have been six presidents of the Islamic Republic since the
Revolution, three have been clerics.
MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD
(President 2005-present)
President’s Power
 Devising the Budget
 Supervising economic matters
 Proposing legislation to the Majlis
 Executing policies
 Signing of treaties, laws, and agreements
 Chairing the National Security Council
 Selecting deputies and cabinet ministers
 Appointing provincial governors, town mayors,
and ambassadors
Semipublic Institutions
 Usually called “foundations” (bonyads), an Islamic
charity organization



Foundation of the Oppressed
Martyrs Foundation
Foundation for the Publication of Imam Khomeini’s Works
Foundations are tax exempt
 Reputed to have a great deal of wealth
 Most property they supervise was confiscated from pre1979 elite

Legislature: MAJLIS
 Unicameral legislature
 Created by Constitution of 1906, however
Constitution of 1979 and 1989 amendments
weakened the Majlis power
 290 seats
 All directly elected through single member districts
by citizens over 18 years old
Majlis Authority
 Powers of the Majlis

Enacting or Changing Laws, qanun (with approval of Guardian
Council)


The constitution uses the term qanun (statutes) rather than shar’ia
(divine law) to avoid the question of whether laws come from God or
the people
It accepts the rationale that God formulates divine law (shar’ia), but
elected representatives can draw up statutes (qanun)
Interpretation of legislation (as long as it does not contradict
judicial authorities)
 Appointment of 6 of 12 Guardian Council members from list made
by chief judge
 Investigation of the cabinet ministers and public complaints
against the executive and judiciary
 Removal of cabinet ministers, but not the president
 Approval of budget, cabinet appointments, treaties, & loans

Majlis elections
 Election of 2000 (6th Majlis)



Reformists fill seats
through coalition of
reformist parties
(Khordad Front)
Reformists win 80% of the
vote, most secular voters
whose parties were
banned supported the
reformists.
Participation was over
70% of the electorate
 Election of 2004 (7th Majlis)





Guardian Council bans
thousands of reformist
candidates
Overwhelming victory for
conservatives
Control of the Majlis flips from
the reformists to the
conservative faction
Many Iranians were
disappointed in failure of
Khordad Front to initiate
reforms
Participation of the electorate
dropped to around 50%
2008 Majlis Elections
 The 2008 elections for the 8th Majlis turned into a repeat
performance of 2004
 The Guardian Council, assisted by the Interior Ministry,
disqualified more than 3,000 potential candidates,
including some of the leading reformers who held seats in
the 7th Majlis
 The conservatives, led by Ahmadinejad’s Principalist’s
Party, took 190 seats, although many were critical of
Ahmadinejad’s populist rhetoric
 The reformers, mostly supported by Khatami’s Islamic
Iran Participation Front and Rafsanjani’s Servants of
Reconstruction, took 40 seats
Judiciary
 Distinction between two types of law: sharia & qanun
 Judicial review does not exist in Iran
 Principle of jurist’s guardianship means that the Supreme
Leader, the Guardian Council, and the Assembly of
Religious Experts have final say regarding interpretation of
law
 Ultimate legal authority does not rest in the constitution,
but in sharia law itself
 Because interpreting shari’a is difficult it has been applied
in different ways at various times
 Because of Ayatollah Khomeini’s approach, interpretation
of shari’a came to be the standard that would influence all
succeeding Iranian leaders
Judiciary
 Islamic Republic
 Islamicized the judiciary code to interpret shari’a strictly
 Retribution Law
Permitted families to demand “blood money” – compensation to
the victim’s family from those responsible for someone’s death
 Mandated the death penalty for actions such as adultery,
homosexuality, drug dealing and alcoholism
 Set up unequal treatment between men & women, and Muslims &
non-Muslims
 Banned interest rates on loans, viewed as usury, which means
lenders take advantage of people seeking loans

Law & Justice
 Khomeini realized that despite the influence of sharia
judges, the regime did need a centralized judicial system to
tend to matters of justice in an orderly manner
 The interpretation of sharia was broadened so that the
harsh penalties of the Retribution Law are rarely carried
out

Modern methods of punishment are more common than harsh
public retribution
 Regime retained the shah’s court structure
 Appeals system
 Hierarchy of state courts
 Central government’s right to appoint and dismiss judges
Military

Revolutionary Guard – established by Khomeini after the revolution, a parallel
military force to the shah’s traditional armed forces that were the 5th largest at the time

Commanders of the Revolutionary Guard are appointed by the Supreme Leader

According to the constitution, the regular army defends the borders, the Revolutionary
Guard protects the republic

Both were greatly strained during the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980’s

Basij – volunteer militia of those to young to serve created during Iran-Iraq War.




Martyred by Khomeini against the invading Iraqi troops
After the war they became the Supreme Leader’s private militia
Currently serve as the Islamic Republic’s “morality police” (Comparable to Hitler Nazi Youth)
Iran’s armed forces currently have over 500,000 active troops making it the 8th largest
military in the world
Theocratic & Democratic Elements of
Iran’s Government Structure
Structure
Theocratic
Characteristics
•Supreme
Leader
•Jurist
•Guardian
Council
•Jurist
guardianship;
interpreter of shari’a; six
members selected by the
Supreme Leader
•Six
•Assembly
of Religious
•Jurist
•Directly
Experts
Democratic
Characteristics
guardianship;
ultimate interpreter of
shari’a; appointed for
life
guardianship;
interpreter of shari’a
members selected
by the Majlis; which is
popularly elected,
indirect democratic tie
people
elected by the
Theocratic & Democratic Elements of
Iran’s Government Structure
Structure
Theocratic
Characteristics
Democratic
Characteristics
•Appointed
by the
Supreme Leader; most
members are clerics
•Some
•Majlis
•Responsibility
•Directly
•Judiciary
•Courts
•Expediency
Council
shari’a
to uphold
held to shari’a
law; subject to the
judicial judgments of the
Supreme Leader,
Guardian Council
clerics
members are not
elected by the
people; pass non
religious laws
•Court
structure similar
to those in democracies;
“modern” penalties,
such as fines and
imprisonment
Public Policy:
Policy-Making Factions
 Conservatives






Created by often contradictory
influences of theocracy &
democracy
Conservatives uphold principles
of regime established in 1979
Against modernization because
it threatens Shi’ism
Wary of western influence
Political & religious decisions
should be one in the same
Support right of clerics to run
the political system
 Reformists




Believe political system needs
reform (but disagree on what
reforms)
Advocate some degree of
international involvement
with western countries
Believe Shi’ism is important
basis of Iranian society
Support idea that political
leaders do not have to be
clerics
Public Policy:
Policy-Making Factions
 Statists
 Government should take
active role in the economy
 Not necessarily communists
 Policy goals include:





Redistribute land
Redistribute wealth
Eliminate unemployment
Finance Social Welfare
Programs
Price restrictions on
Consumer goods
 Free-marketers
 Similar market principles to
the US, but in a
theocratic/democratic state
 Liberal Economic Policies




Remove price controls
Lower business taxes
Encourage private enterprise
Balance the budget
NUCLEAR WEAPONS
NUCLEAR POWER:
Peaceful or Aggressive Intentions?
Energy
 Demand for energy outpacing
supply
 Reserve of oil for export
 Technical developments
 Permitted according to terms of
the NPT
Weapons
 Iran has enough natural gas
 Aggressive rhetoric of Iran’s
President, Ahmadinejad
 Secret construction of nuclear
power plants
 Relations with terrorist
organizations
FUTURE
 Iran’s government may be
losing legitimacy
 Iranians are Muslim,
support religious rule.
 Tension with the West
continue.