Hassan Rouhani (; born Hassan Fereydoun, 12 November 1948) is an

Iranian Iranian () may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Iran ** Iranian diaspora, Iranians living outside Iran ** Iranian architecture, architecture of Iran and parts of the rest of West Asia ** Iranian cuisine, cooking traditions and practic ...

politician who served as the seventh

president of Iran The president of the Islamic Republic of Iran () is the head of government of the Iran, Islamic Republic of Iran and the second highest-ranking official, after the Supreme Leader of Iran, supreme leader. The 1980 Iranian presidential election, fi ...

from 2013 to 2021. He is also a

sharia Sharia, Sharī'ah, Shari'a, or Shariah () is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on Islamic holy books, scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran, Qur'an and hadith. In Islamic terminology ''sharīʿah'' ...

lawyer ("

Wakil Vekil or Vakil was the term used for the deputies and ''de facto'' prime ministers of the Mughal Emperor in Mughal administration. He was considered the most powerful person after Emperor in the Mughal Empire. ''Vakil'' was one of the highest posi ...

"), academic, former diplomat and Islamic cleric. He served as a member of Iran's

Assembly of Experts The Assembly of Experts (), 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 Leader of Iran. All directly elected members must first be vetted ...

from 1999 to 2024. He was a member of the

Expediency Council The Expediency Discernment Council of the System ( ''Majma'-e Tašxis-e Maslahat-e Nezâm'') is an administrative assembly of Iran appointed by the Supreme Leader and was created upon the revision to the Constitution on 6 February 1988. It was ...

from 1991 to 2013, and also was a member of the

Supreme National Security Council Supreme National Security Council (SNSC; ''Showrāye Āliye Amniyate Mellī'' also ''Supreme Council for National Security'') is the national security council of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The current secretary of the Supreme National Securi ...

from 1989 to 2021. Rouhani was deputy speaker of the fourth and fifth terms of the Parliament of Iran (

Majlis (, 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 connections to the Mus ...

) 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 the EU big three, EU triumvirate, EU trio or simply E3, refers to France, Germany, and Italy; the three large founding members of the European Union (EU). These countries are generally regarded as the three most politi ...

, UK, France, and Germany, on nuclear technology in Iran, and has also served as a

Shia Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...

mujtahid ''Ijtihad'' ( ; ' , ) is an Islamic legal term referring to independent reasoning by an expert in Islamic law, or the thorough exertion of a jurist's mental faculty in finding a solution to a legal question. It is contrasted with '' taqlid'' (i ...

(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 p ...

that was held on 14 June 2013. He campaigned on promises to restore the economy, improve rocky relations with Western nations, and prepare a "civil rights charter" if elected. He also expressed official support for upholding the rights of ethnic and religious minorities. He was elected as

President of Iran The president of the Islamic Republic of Iran () is the head of government of the Iran, Islamic Republic of Iran and the second highest-ranking official, after the Supreme Leader of Iran, supreme leader. The 1980 Iranian presidential election, fi ...

on 15 June, defeating

Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

mayor

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (, born 23 August 1961) is an Iranian Iranian Principlists, conservative politician, former military officer, and current List of Speakers of the Parliament of Iran, Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, Parli ...

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. In an election, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the position that is up for election, regardless of whether they are seeking re-election. There may or may not be a ...

in the 2017 election with 23,636,652 votes (57.1%). He became the third Iranian President, after

Mohammad Khatami Mohammad Khatami (born 14 October 1943) is an Iranian politician and Shia cleric 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 to 1992. Later, he was critic ...

and

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (born Mahmoud Sabbaghian on 28 October 1956) is an Iranian Iranian principlists, principlist and Iranian nationalism, nationalist politician who served as the sixth president of Iran from 2005 to 2013. He is currently a mem ...

, 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 Ali Hosseini Khamenei (; born 19 April 1939) is an Iranian cleric and politician who has served as the second supreme leader of Iran since 1989. He previously served as the third President of Iran, president from 1981 to 1989. Khamenei's tenure ...

during his second term, their relationship soured as Khamenei criticized Rouhani for presumably being too soft in negotiations with the West over the Iran nuclear agreement. After his second term, Rouhani was not appointed to any senior role by Khamenei.

Early life and education

Hassan Rouhani was born Hassan Fereydoun on 12 November 1948 in

Sorkheh Sorkheh () is a city in the Central District of Sorkheh County, Semnan province, Iran, serving as capital of the county. It was the capital of Sorkheh District of Semnan County until its capital was transferred to the village of Lasjerd ...

, 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 (26 October 1919 – 27 July 1980) was the last Shah of Iran, ruling from 1941 to 1979. He succeeded his father Reza Shah and ruled the Imperial State of Iran until he was overthrown by the Iranian Revolution, which ...

, the

Shah of Iran The monarchs of Iran ruled for over two and a half millennia, beginning as early as the 7th century BC and enduring until the 20th century AD. The earliest Iranian king is generally considered to have been either Deioces of the Median dynasty () ...

, and arrested first in 1962, and then more than twenty times before the

Iranian Revolution The Iranian Revolution (, ), also known as the 1979 Revolution, or the Islamic Revolution of 1979 (, ) was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979. The revolution led to the replacement of the Impe ...

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 and one of the foremost Shia Islam, Shia hawzas (Islamic seminaries), located in the city of Qom, Iran. It is the largest seminary in Iran, established in 1922 by Grand Ayatollah Abdul-Karim Haeri Yazdi in Qom to ...

in 1961. He attended classes taught by prominent scholars of that time including

Mostafa Mohaghegh Damad Mostafa Mohaghegh Damad (; born 1945) is an Iranian Shia cleric and scholar. Education Mostafa passed his Islamic education in Arabic literature, Quran, Hadith, Islamic philosophy, theology, and jurisprudence at the Fayzieh School in the Qom. H ...

, Morteza Haeri Yazdi,

Mohammad-Reza Golpaygani Grand Ayatollah Mohammad-Reza Golpaygani (; March 20, 1899Mohammad Fazel Lankarani, and Mohammad Shahabadi. In addition, he studied modern courses, and was admitted to the

University of Tehran The University of Tehran (UT) or Tehran University (, ) is a public collegiate university in Iran, and the oldest and most prominent Iranian university located in Tehran. Based on its historical, socio-cultural, and political pedigree, as well as ...

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 Neyshabur (, also ) is a city in the Central District (Nishapur County), Central District of Nishapur County, Razavi Khorasan province, Razavi Khorasan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. Ni ...

. Rouhani

continued ''...Continued'' is the second album released by Tony Joe White. It was released on Monument Records and contained the single " Roosevelt and Ira Lee" It was recorded at Monument Studios, Nashville and Lyn-Lou Studios, Memphis in 1969. It was ...

his studies at

Glasgow Caledonian University Glasgow Caledonian University, 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 Glasgow Polytechnic (originally Glasg ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, and graduated in 1995 with an

MPhil A Master of Philosophy (MPhil or PhM; Latin ' or ') is a postgraduate degree. The name of the degree is most often abbreviated MPhil (or, at times, as PhM in other countries). MPhil are awarded to postgraduate students after completing at least ...

degree in Law with his thesis entitled ''The Islamic legislative power with reference to the Iranian experience'' and a

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

degree in

Constitutional Law Constitutional law is a body of law which defines the role, powers, and structure of different entities within a state, namely, the executive, the parliament or legislature, and the judiciary; as well as the basic rights of citizens and, in ...

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 (, 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 the age of 17 and obtaine ...

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 The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in post-nominals; ) is a public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ...

rather than

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".

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 auth ...

, 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 alongside 2017 Iranian local elections, local elections. List of candidates in the 2017 Iranian presidential election, Candidate registration took place from 11 to 15 April 2017. Incumbent p ...

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. History The service was launched in 2004 and is headquartered in Oakland, California. It is marketed to "publishers, n ...

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

Shiraz University Shiraz University ( ''Dāneshgāh-e-Shirāz'', 1979 revolution, formerly known as Pahlavi dynasty, Pahlavi University دانشگاه پهلوی ''Dāneshgāh-e Pahlavi'') is a public university located in Shiraz, Fars province, Fars, Iran, establ ...

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 tendency advocating the reform of an existing system or institution – often a political or religious establishment – as opposed to its abolition and replacement via revolution. Within the socialist movement, ref ...

Sadegh Zibakalam Sadegh Zibakalam Mofrad (; born 12 June 1948) is an Iranian academic, author and pundit described as reformist and neo-liberal. Zibakalam is a former professor at University of Tehran and appears frequently on international news outlets including ...

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. Zahedi was approved by Iran's parliament with the fewest supporting votes possible (supporters had ...

, head of

Iranian Parliament The Islamic Consultative Assembly (), also called the Iranian Parliament, the Iranian Majles (Arabicised spelling Majlis) or ICA, is the unicameral national legislative body of Iran. The parliament currently consists of 290 representatives, an i ...

'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, 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" () 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 Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' and the ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and also published digitally that focuses on business and economic Current affairs (news format), current affairs. Based in London, the paper is owned by a Jap ...

'' reported that Rouhani also had a fifth child, a son who died in unknown circumstances. Based on a comment by journalist

Alireza Nourizadeh Ali Reza Nourizadeh (, 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 refugee from Iran. After fleeing to the U ...

, some sources reported that he committed suicide "in protest of his father's close connection with Supreme Leader

". This claim, apparently originating from Nourizadeh's report in the Saudi-owned newspaper ''

Asharq Al-Awsat ''Asharq Al-Awsat'' (, 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 for its distinctive green-tinted pages. Although pu ...

'', included the following text which allegedly came from the son's

suicide note A suicide note or death note is a message written by a person who 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 depend on ethnic ...

: "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, 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; ) or Seda va Sima () for short, formerly called National Iranian Radio and Television until the Iranian revolution of 1979, is an Iranian state-controlled media corporation that holds a monopo ...

in arrangements for presidential debates.

Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani Akbar Hashemi Bahramani Rafsanjani (25 August 19348 January 2017) was an Iranian cleric, politician and writer who served as the fourth president of Iran from 1989 to 1997. One of the founding fathers of the Government of Iran, Islamic Republic, ...

, in a memoir dated 15 May 1982, mentions Hossein Fereydoun as the then governor of

Karaj Karaj (; ) is a List of cities in Iran by province, city in the Central District (Karaj County), Central District of Karaj County, Alborz province, Alborz province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. Earl ...

. 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 Fereydun (, ; New Persian: , ''Fereydūn/Farīdūn'') is an Iranian mythical king and hero from the Pishdadian dynasty. He is known as an emblem of victory, justice, and generosity in Persian literature. According to Abolala Soudavar, Fereydun ...

, in reference to a just king in

Persian mythology Iranian mythology, or Persian mythology in western term (), 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 origin and nature of the worl ...

, , ) and later changed his last name to ''

Rouhani Hassan Rouhani (; born Hassan Fereydoun, 12 November 1948) is an Iranian politician who served as the seventh president of Iran from 2013 to 2021. He is also a sharia lawyer (" Wakil"), academic, former diplomat and Islamic cleric. He served ...

'', which means 'spiritual' or 'cleric'; also

transliterated Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one writing system, script to another that involves swapping Letter (alphabet), letters (thus ''wikt:trans-#Prefix, trans-'' + ''wikt:littera#Latin, liter-'') in predictable ways, such as ...

as ''Rowhani'', ''Ruhani'', or ''Rohani''). It is not clear when he officially changed his last name. He was named as "Hassan Fereydoun Rouhani" () in a list of

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 Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini (17 May 1900 or 24 September 19023 June 1989) was an Iranian revolutionary, politician, political theorist, and religious leader. He was the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the main leader of the Iranian ...

during the beginning of the Iranian Islamist movement. In 1965, he began traveling throughout Iran making speeches against the government of the

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (26 October 1919 – 27 July 1980) was the last List of monarchs of Iran, Shah of Iran, ruling from 1941 to 1979. He succeeded his father Reza Shah and ruled the Imperial State of Iran until he was overthrown by the ...

, the

Shah Shāh (; ) is a royal title meaning "king" in the Persian language.Yarshater, Ehsa, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII, no. 1 (1989) Though chiefly associated with the monarchs of Iran, it was also used to refer to the leaders of numerous Per ...

(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 Marja (; plural ''marājiʿ''; ) is a title given to the highest level of Twelver Shia religious cleric, with the authority given by a hawzah (a seminary where Shi'a Muslim scholars are educated) to make legal decisions within the confines of Sh ...

Mohammad Baqir al-Sadr Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr (; 1 March 1935 – 9 April 1980), also known as al-Shahid al-Khamis (), was an Iraqi Islamic scholar, philosopher, and the ideological founder of the Islamic Dawa Party. He was the father-in-law to Muqtada al-Sadr, a ...

, although Rouhani was influential in publicizing the title. Since he was under surveillance by

SAVAK The Bureau for Intelligence and Security of the State (), shortened to as SAVAK () or S.A.V.A.K. () was the secret police of the Imperial State of Iran. It was established in Tehran in 1957 by national security law. and continued to operate un ...

(Iran's pre-revolution intelligence agency), the Ayatollah Mohammad Beheshti and the

Ayatollah Morteza Motahhari Morteza Motahhari (; 31 January 1919 – 1 May 1979) was an Iranian Twelver Shia scholar, philosopher, lecturer. Motahhari is considered to have an important influence on the ideologies of the Islamic Republic, among others. He was a co-found ...

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 the Islamic Republic

Following the 1979

, 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 form of Islamic theocratic government enforcing sharia, or laws compatible with sharia. The term has also been used for a s ...

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 (), also called the Iranian Parliament, the Iranian Majles (Arabicised spelling Majlis) or ICA, is the unicameral national legislative body of Iran. The parliament currently consists of 290 representatives, an i ...

, 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; ) or Seda va Sima () for short, formerly called National Iranian Radio and Television until the Iranian revolution of 1979, is an Iranian state-controlled media corporation that holds a monopo ...

(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 (; 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 affairs during the presidency of his older b ...

the then head of IRIB, which led to the temporary replacement of Hashemi by first Rouhani and then immediately

Mohammad Javad Larijani Mohammad-Javad Ardeshir Larijani (; 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 Council for Human rights, Judiciary of Is ...

. 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, also known as the First Gulf War, was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. Active hostilities began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for nearly eight years, unti ...

, 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 United States of America, American United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps officer who served as National Security Advisor (United States), National Security Advisor to Preside ...

, 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 (; ), also referred to as the Iran–Contra scandal, the Iran Initiative, or simply Iran–Contra, was a political scandal in the United States that centered on arms trafficking to Iran between 1981 and 1986, facilitat ...

. 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), also known as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, is a multi-service primary branch of the Iranian Armed Forces. It was officially established by Ruhollah Khomeini as a military branch in May 1979 i ...

. In another ceremony on the occasion of the liberation of

Khoramshahr Khorramshahr (; ) is a city in the Central District of Khorramshahr County, Khuzestan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. It is also known in Arabic by the local ethnically Arab population as Al-Muhammar ...

, 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

(SNSC) came into being up to the present time, he has been representative of the Supreme Leader,

Ayatollah Khamenei Ali Hosseini Khamenei (; born 19 April 1939) is an Iranian cleric and politician who has served as the second supreme leader of Iran since 1989. He previously served as the third president from 1981 to 1989. Khamenei's tenure as Supreme Leader, ...

, 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 (), Hashemi, Hashimi, or Hashmi () is an Arabic and Persian surname.Al-Hashimi ...

and President

Khatami Mohammad Khatami (born 14 October 1943) is an Iranian politician and Shia cleric 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 to 1992. Later, he was critic ...

– for 13 years from 1989 to 1997 and from 2000 to 2005. In 1991, Rouhani was appointed to the

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 () in Iran) (7–13 July)Assembly of Experts The Assembly of Experts (), 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 Leader of Iran. All directly elected members must first be vetted ...

which was held on 18 February 2000, Rouhani was elected to the

from Semnan Province. He was elected as

Tehran Province Tehran province () is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. Its capital is the city of Tehran. Tehran province covers an area of and is located to the north of the central plateau of Iran. It was made a part of the First Region with its secretar ...

'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 of the Islamic Jurist (, also ''Velayat-e Faghih''; ) is a concept in Twelver Shia Islamic law which holds that until the reappearance of the "infallible Imam" (sometime before Judgement Day), the religious and social affairs ...

". 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

(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 Bahramani Rafsanjani (25 August 19348 January 2017) was an Iranian cleric, politician and writer who served as the fourth president of Iran from 1989 to 1997. One of the founding fathers of the Islamic Republic, Rafsanjani was the ...

and continued under his successor, President

. 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 technology, nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. It was ...

(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 Sayyid Kamal Kharazi (, born 1 December 1944) is an Iranian Iranian reform movement, reformist politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Iran), foreign minister of Iran from 20 August 1997 to 24 August 2005. He wa ...

, 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

, Hassan Rouhani took charge of Iran's nuclear case on 6 October 2003. Subsequently, negotiations between Iran and three European states started at

Sa'dabad Palace The Sa'dabad Complex () is an 80 hectare complex built by the Qajar and Pahlavi monarchs, located in Shemiran, Greater Tehran, Iran. Today, the official residence of the President of Iran is located adjacent to the complex. The complex includ ...

and continued in later months in

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

, Geneva and Paris. Hassan Rouhani at US Field Hospital 12-24-2003 - FEMA - 13321 - by Marty Bahamonde

Rouhani and his team, whose members had been introduced by

Ali Akbar Velayati Ali Akbar Velayati ( ; born 24 June 1945) is an Iranian conservative politician and physician. He is currently a member of the Expediency Discernment Council. Velayati is a distinguished professor at Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Scien ...

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 six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...

. 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 known as the nuclear fuel chain, describes the series of stages that nuclear fuel undergoes during its production, use, and recycling or disposal. It consists of steps in the ''front end'', which are the preparation o ...

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

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 Ardashir Larijani (born 3 June 1958) is an Iranian politician and former military officer in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, who served as the Speaker of the Parliament of Iran from 2008 to 2020. He has been a member of the Expediency ...

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 (; born 6 September 1965) is an Iranian politician and diplomat, who was secretary of the Supreme National Security Council from 2007 to 2013. He is currently a member of the Expediency Discernment Council, and is the former nucl ...

. Rouhani then was appointed by the Supreme Leader as his representative at the SNSC.

Presidential campaigns

2013 presidential election

Hassan Rouhani election winning celebration 04

Hassan Rouhani press conference after his election as president 14

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 ...

. 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

and

, together with

reformists Reformism is a political tendency advocating the reform of an existing system or institution – often a political establishment , political or religion , religious establishment – as opposed to its abolition and replacement via revolution. ...

supported Rouhani on the presidential race after pro-reform candidate

Mohammad Reza Aref Mohammad Reza Aref (, born 19 December 1951) is an Iranian engineer, academic and reformist politician who is the eighth and current first vice president of Iran since 2024, under President Masoud Pezeshkian. He is also currently member of the E ...

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; ) is a semi-official news agency sponsored by the government of Iran. It is headquartered in Tehran, and is owned by the Iranian government's Islamic Development Organization (IIDO). Mehr publishes all content on its we ...

and

Fars news agency The Fars News Agency is a news agency in Iran managed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), one of the three branches of the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces. While it describes itself as "Iran's leading independent news agency" ...

, suggested that Rouhani might be disqualified prior to the election and ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'', in an editorial, predicted that Rouhani "will not be allowed to win". On 15 June 2013, Interior Minister

Mostafa Mohammad Najjar Mostafa Mohammad Najjar (, born 2 December 1956) is an Iranian politician and retired IRGC general. He was interior minister of Iran from 2009 to 2013 and Minister of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics in the first cabinet of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ...

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

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 ( ; ), historically also known as Mashad, Meshhed, or Meshed in English, 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. ...

and

Qom Qom (; ) is a city in the Central District of Qom County, Qom province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is the seventh largest metropolis and also the seventh largest city in Iran. The city is ...

(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

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 referendum ...

, 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 and Raisi in Assembly of Experts

Rouhani saw off a strong challenge from hardline

Ebrahim Raisi Ebrahim Raisolsadati (14 December 1960 – 19 May 2024), better known as Ebrahim Raisi, was an Iranian politician who served as the eighth president of Iran from 2021 until 2024 Varzaqan helicopter crash, his death in a helicopter crash in 202 ...

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 (Persian: سید مصطفی میرسلیم) (born 10 June 1947) is an Iranian engineer and conservative politician. He is currently member of the Expediency Discernment Council. He was formerly a member of Islamic C ...

and

Mostafa Hashemitaba Mostafa Hashemitaba (; 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 described as having 'centrist' views ...

. 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,

on 3 August 2013 and entered

in a private ceremony. His work as president officially began on the same day at 17:00 IRDT. 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 (

Eshaq Jahangiri Eshaq Jahangiri Kouhshahi (, ; 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 minister of industries and mines from 1997 to 200 ...

Mohammad Shariatmadari Mohammad Shariatmadari (Persian: محمد شریعتمداری; born 24 June 1960) is an Iranian politician and current CEO of Persian Gulf Petrochemical Industries Corporation since December 2024. He was former Minister of Cooperatives, La ...

) 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 (, ; 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 served for the first time as head ...

Sadegh Kharazi Sayyid Mohammad Sadeq Kharazi (; born 2 March 1963) is a former Iranian diplomat and advisor to Iran's former President Khatami. Kharazi started his career in 1983 during the Iran–Iraq War in the High Defence Council and the IRIB. He subseq ...

Mohammad Javad Zarif Mohammad Javad Zarif (; born 8 January 1960) is an Iranian career diplomat and academic. He served as the vice president for strategic affairs from August 2024 to March 2025.Mahmoud Vaezi Mahmoud Vaezi (, 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 obtained B.S. and M.S. in degre ...

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 (, 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 2013 until 2017. He is described ...

as his chief of staff. President Rouhani and VP Jahangiri in Saadabad Palace 03

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 refers to the amount of products and services available for purchase with a certain currency unit. For example, if you took one unit of cash to a store in the 1950s, you could buy more products than you could now, showing that th ...

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 (, ''Qanun-e Asasi-ye Jomhuri-ye Eslâmi-ye Iran'') is the supreme law of Iran. It was adopted by referendum on 2 and 3 December 1979, and went into force replacing the Constitution of 1906. It ...

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 The distribution of wealth is a comparison of the wealth of various members or groups in a society. It shows one aspect of economic inequality or heterogeneity in economics, economic heterogeneity. The distribution of wealth differs from the i ...

. 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 may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

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 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 under ...

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 of the Islamic Republic ...

. His economic policies also comprise optimal distribution of

subsidies A subsidy, subvention or government incentive is a type of government expenditure for individuals and households, as well as businesses with the aim of stabilizing the economy. It ensures that individuals and households are viable by having acce ...

, control of

liquidity Liquidity is a concept in economics involving the convertibility of assets and obligations. It can include: * Market liquidity In business, economics or investment, market liquidity is a market's feature whereby an individual or firm can quic ...

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 in the United States. CIMA works to improve the development of independent media worldwide while working to strengthen the support for ...

, 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

for showing trivial foreign news, while ignoring pressing national matters. Rouhani also appeared to pledge his support for increasing

Internet access Internet access is a facility or service that provides connectivity for a computer, a computer network, or other network device to the Internet, and for individuals or organizations to access or use applications such as email and the World Wide ...

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. President Rouhani at National Armed Force Day parade 2016 02

President Rouhani at National Armed Force Day parade 2016 02

Rouhani is a supporter of

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and Entitlement (fair division), 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 c ...

. 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 Elham Aminzadeh (; born 1964) is an Iranian academic, lawmaker and the former assistant to President Hassan Rouhani in citizenship rights. She was formerly vice president A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, ...

Shahindokht Molaverdi Shahindokht Molaverdi (; born 23 October 1965) is an Iranian academic, feminist, jurist, scholar and aide to the President of Iran. She served as vice president for women and family affairs in Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's first cabinet ...

and

Masoumeh Ebtekar Masoumeh Ebtekar (; born 21 September 1960) is an Iranian politician. A Reformist, she headed the country's Department of Environment from 1997 to 2005 and again from 2013 to 2017, after which she served as the Vice President for Women and ...

as vice presidents; as well as

Marzieh Afkham Marzieh Afkham () is an Iranian diplomat who serves as Iran ambassador to Slovenia since 2025. She also 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 ...

, 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. Rouhani re-election celebrations in Tehran 3

Rouhani re-election celebrations in Tehran 3

In September 2013, eleven political prisoners were freed including noted human rights lawyer

Nasrin Sotoudeh Nasrin Sotoudeh (Persian: نسرین ستوده) is an Iranian human rights lawyer known for her defense of activists, opposition politicians, and individuals facing human rights violations. She has represented Iranian opposition activists and ...

and

Mohsen Aminzadeh Mohsen Aminzadeh (, born 1957) is an Iranian reformist politician and former diplomat. Aminzadeh was a founding member of the largest reformist party, the Islamic Iran Participation Front. He served as the Deputy Foreign Minister during the 1997- ...

. 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; , AGNU or AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ. Currently in its Seventy-ninth session of th ...

. 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 (; born 21 June 1947) is an Iranian Nobel laureate, lawyer, writer, teacher and a former judge and founder of the Defenders of Human Rights Center in Iran. In 2003, Ebadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her pioneering effor ...

has criticized Rouhani's human rights record. She cited the increase in executions, Abdolfattah Soltani's hunger strike, and the continued house arrest of

Mir Hossein Mousavi ''Mir'' (, ; ) was a space station operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, first by the Soviet Union and later by the Russian Federation. ''Mir'' was the first modular space station and was assembled in orbit from 1986 to 19 ...

and

Mahdi Karroubi Mehdi Karroubi (, born 26 September 1937) is an Iranian Shia cleric and reformist politician leading the National Trust Party. Following 2009–2010 Iranian election protests, Karroubi was put under house arrest in February 2011. As of 2021, he ...

. An Iranian spokesperson said Ebadi's comments would end up provoking animosity towards Iran. In 2015, Rouhani appointed

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 and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...

Kurd Kurds (), or the Kurdish people, are an Iranian peoples, Iranic ethnic group from West Asia. They are indigenous to Kurdistan, which is a geographic region spanning southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Iraq, and northeastern Syri ...

respectively, to hold office as ambassadors.

Foreign policy

Rouhani's foreign policy has been contained by the conservatism of

Iranian Principlists The Principlists (, ), also interchangeably known as the Iranian Conservatives Open access material licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. and formerly referred to as the Right or Right-win ...

, 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 was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. Ob ...

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. Prime Minister Narendra Modi with President of Iran Hassan Rouhani

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with President of Iran Hassan Rouhani

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. Modern pri ...

David Cameron David William Donald Cameron, Baron Cameron of Chipping Norton (born 9 October 1966) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016. Until 2015, he led the first coalition government in the UK s ...

, marking the first time since the

1979 Islamic revolution The Iranian Revolution (, ), also known as the 1979 Revolution, or the Islamic Revolution of 1979 (, ) was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979. The revolution led to the replacement of the Impe ...

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 was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

, 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

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" is an anti-American political slogan widely used in Iran,Arash KaramiKhomeini Orders Media to End 'Death to America' Chant, Iran Pulse, October 13, 2013 Afghanistan, Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, and Pakistan. Ruhollah Khomeini, the f ...

" 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 former union leader serving as the 53rd president of Venezuela since 2013. Previously, he was the 24th Vice President of Venezuela, vice president from 2012 to 20 ...

. On 3 January 2020, the second most powerful person in Iran,

Qasem Soleimani Qasem Soleimani (; 11 March 1957 – 3 January 2020) was an Iranian military officer who served in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). From 1998 until Assassination of Qasem Soleimani, his assassination by the United States in 2020, h ...

, 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 Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

won the US presidential election in November 2020 against

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

, Hassan Rouhani stated that it was an opportunity for Biden's administration to "compensate for previous mistakes".

Syria

Trilateral Iran-Russia-Turkey Summit September 2018 in Tehran 4

It is generally assumed that he will follow the ruling establishment in completely supporting

Bashar al-Assad Bashar al-Assad (born 11September 1965) is a Syrian politician, military officer and former dictator Sources characterising Assad as a dictator: who served as the president of Syria from 2000 until fall of the Assad regime, his government ...

, Syria's contentious president, in the Syrian Civil War, as well as "strengthening the Shia Crescent" 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 (; ) are the diplomatic and foreign relations between the two sovereign states of Iran and Iraq. Both states have history that extends for millennia into the past. Iran and Iraq share a long border (the longest border for bo ...

"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. Pakistan PM Imran Khan met with Ali Khamenei 03

Pakistan PM Imran Khan met with Ali Khamenei 03

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 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, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

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 (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

, 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 colloquial English usage, has at least three meanings: * the assertion that any particular statement or allegation, whose truth is uncertain, is not true; * the refusal of a request; and * the assertion that a true statement is fal ...

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'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

'', 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 surr ...

between

and the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

a "huge mistake" and warned the UAE against permitting Israel to have a secure presence in the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a Mediterranean seas, mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.Un ...

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 (; born 8 January 1960) is an Iranian career diplomat and academic. He served as the vice president for strategic affairs from August 2024 to March 2025.Hassan Khomeini Sayyid Hassan Khomeini (; born 23 July 1972) is an Iranian cleric. He has been called "the most prominent" grandchild of Ruhollah Khomeini, who had 15 grandchildren in total, and the one "who many think could have a promising political future".< ...

(+52%),

(+43%) and

(+38%) who took the following places. The firm stated with 95% confidence that the margin of sampling error was ±3 percentage points. Hassan Rouhani in Semnan 08

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 The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA; (, BARJAM)), also known as the Iran nuclear deal or Iran deal, is an agreement to limit the Iranian nuclear program in return for sanctions relief and other provisions. The agreement was finalize ...

, 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 An Achilles' heel (or Achilles heel) is a weakness despite overall strength, which can lead to downfall. While the mythological origin refers to a physical vulnerability, idiomatic references to other attributes or qualities that can lead to do ...

. ''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.

Post-presidency

On 24 January 2024, Rouhani said that he had been excluded by the

Guardian Council The Guardian Council (also called Council of Guardians or Constitutional Council, ) is an appointed and constitutionally mandated 12-member council that wields considerable power and influence in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The constitution ...

from its shortlist of candidates for elections to the

to be held in March 2024. He criticized the decision, saying that "the minority that rules officially and publicly wants to reduce people’s participation in elections." In 2024, Rouhani criticised the reinstatement of Iran's morality police and the implementation of the "Noor plan" by law enforcement authorities. He expressed shock over the

hijab Hijab (, ) refers to head coverings worn by Women in Islam, Muslim women. Similar to the mitpaḥat/tichel or Snood (headgear), snood worn by religious married Jewish women, certain Christian head covering, headcoverings worn by some Christian w ...

law approved by the Guardian Council which predicted severe punishment for those violating it, saying that it "aligns neither with the

Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed. When these pri ...

, nor with justice, nor with the

Qur'an The Quran, also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation directly from God ('' Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which consist of individual verses ('). Besides ...

and

Islamic culture Islamic cultures or Muslim cultures refers to the historic cultural practices that developed among the various peoples living in the Muslim world. These practices, while not always religious in nature, are generally influenced by aspects of Islam ...

Political positions

Rouhani is considered to be a moderate and pragmatic politician. In 2000, the

Washington Institute for Near East Policy The Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP), also known simply as The Washington Institute (TWI), is a pro-Israel American think tank based in Washington, D.C., focused on the foreign policy of the United States in the Near East. WINE ...

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 reelection campaign, Rouhani's views moved firmly to the

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and he fully aligned with the

reformist Reformism is a political tendency advocating the reform of an existing system or institution – often a political or religious establishment – as opposed to its abolition and replacement via revolution. Within the socialist movement, ref ...

faction.

Electoral history

Hassan Rouhani casting his vote for 2016 elections

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: ;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 ;English * ''The Islamic Legislative Power'', May 1994 * ''The Flexibility of Shariah; Islamic Law'', April 1996 ;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

Notes

References

External links

; Official
Official presidential website

Official personal website
; Other * * * *
Profile
at the

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"Goodbye, Ahmadinejad; Hello, Rouhani"
Ben Brumfield,

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, 17 June 2013
10 offices of Heads of State
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rouhani, Hassan 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 of the Iranian Revolution Presidents of Iran Recipients of the Order of Fath Secretaries-general of the Non-Aligned Movement Anti-Americanism Twelvers University of Tehran alumni Qom Seminary alumni Sharia lawyers Iranian Qutbists