Mohammad Yazdi (; 2 July 1931 – 9 December 2020) was 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 ...

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

and principlist cleric who served as the head of Judiciary System of Iran between 1989 and 1999. In 2015, he was elected to lead Iran's Assembly of Experts, defeating

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, ...

, a former president, by a vote count of 47 to 24.

Early life

Mohammad Yazdi was born in 1931 to a religious family at

Isfahan Isfahan or Esfahan ( ) is a city in the Central District (Isfahan County), Central District of Isfahan County, Isfahan province, Iran. It is the capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is located south of Tehran. The city ...

. Sheikh Ali Yazdi, his father, was a student of Sheikh Abdul Karim Haeri and at one of the Isfahan mosques as chief mullah for Friday prayers and ceremonies investigated the people's problems.

Education

At first, Ayatollah Yazdi learned

Persian language Persian ( ), also known by its endonym and exonym, endonym Farsi (, Fārsī ), is a Western Iranian languages, Western Iranian language belonging to the Iranian languages, Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian languages, Indo-Iranian subdivision ...

from his father and then went to Maktab. Also he departed to newly founded school to continue his education. When he went to

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 ...

, he resided at the

Feyziyeh School Feyziyeh School () is an old school in Qom, Iran that was founded in the Safavid era. The school has been listed as one of Iran's national monuments as of 29 January 2008. The school is famous in part as the focal point for clerical opposition t ...

and learned religious courses from scholars such as Mohammad Ali Araki,

Ayatollah Ayatollah (, ; ; ) is an Title of honor, honorific title for high-ranking Twelver Shia clergy. It came into widespread usage in the 20th century. Originally used as a title bestowed by popular/clerical acclaim for a small number of the most di ...

Sheikh Muhammad Taqi Amoli, Ayatollah Shahroudi, Grand Ayatollah Hossein Borujerdi and

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 ...

Political career

Before victory of Iranian Revolution

Ayatollah Yazdi usually gave the lectures at mosques and house of scholars. Also he taught

Morality Morality () is the categorization of intentions, Decision-making, decisions and Social actions, actions into those that are ''proper'', or ''right'', and those that are ''improper'', or ''wrong''. Morality can be a body of standards or principle ...

course at the Feyziyeh School and discussed politic subjects. Mohammad Yazdi was exiled by SAVAK many times to

Bandar Lengeh Bandar Lengeh () is a city in the Central District of Bandar Lengeh County, Hormozgan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. Bandar Lengeh is a port city on the Persian Gulf, from Lar, from Bandar Abb ...

Bushehr Bushehr (; ) is a port city in the Central District (Bushehr County), Central District of Bushehr County, Bushehr province, Bushehr province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. Etymology The roots of the n ...

and Rudbar.

After victory of Iranian Revolution

After Ayatollah Khamenei became leader of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Yazdi served as the president of the Supreme Court. He remained in the post for many years before being replaced by Muhammad Hashemi Shahroudi. Yazdi was a member of the Assembly of Experts and 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 ...

. He served as the interim Friday prayer leader of

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. ...

. This is some of the political career of Ayatollah Yazdi after The Islamic Revolution as follows: *Management of Imam Khomeini's Office in Qom *Member of the dispute resolution council between

Mohammad-Ali Rajai Mohammad-Ali Rajai (; 15 June 1933 – 30 August 1981) was an Iranian politician who served as the second president of Iran from 2 August 1981 until his assassination four weeks later. Before his presidency, Rajai had served as prime minister un ...

and Abolhassan Banisadr *Member of the Assembly of Experts constitution in 1979 *Temporary Tehran's Friday Prayer Imam, 1982 to late 1990s *

Chief Justice of Iran The head of the Judicial System of the Islamic Republic of Iran (), often called the chief justice of Iran, is the head of the Judicial system of the Islamic Republic of Iran (Head of Judiciary) and is responsible for its administration and super ...

1989 to 1999 *Member of the Assembly of Experts, 1991 to 2016 *Member of Iranian Parliament from 1980 to 1988 in Qom and Tehran *Vice chairman of Iranian Parliament in the first and second periods *Member of

in the periods of the second, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh *One of the founders and secretary of Society of Seminary Teachers of Qom

Political views

United States

In the run-up to the February 2016 elections, Yazdi opposed bilateral relations with the United States. In the popular election held in February 2016 for Assembly of Experts candidates, incumbent Chairman Yazdi was not among the 16 experts who received enough votes to represent Tehran in the Fifth Assembly of Experts. Many western media outlets pointed to Yazdi's exit from the Assembly when providing and emphasizing the gains that reformists made in the 2016 elections. In a speech congratulating those elected to the Fifth Assembly of Experts, Yazdi advocated for peaceful, moderate relations with other countries, but went on to warn about dealing with enemies and characterized America as " The Great Satan". Two days later,

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" ...

reported the

Supreme Leader A supreme leader or supreme ruler typically refers to powerful figures with an unchallenged authority, such as autocrats, dictators to spiritual and revolutionary leaders. Historic examples are Adolf Hitler () of Nazi Germany, Francisco ...

Ayatollah Khamenei lamented the Assembly's loss of Yazdi as Chairman and warned of the risk that the West could influence or infiltrate Iran. As of 9 May 2016, Yazdi remained on the Guardian Council, which vets potential candidates for the Assembly of Experts. During Yazdi's tenure on the Guardian Council, human-rights organizations have criticized the Guardian Council's disqualification of reform candidates in the 2016 elections.

Sanctions

In February 2020, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Yazdi for "preventing free and fair

elections in Iran Iran elects on a national level a head of government (the president), a legislature (the Majlis), and an " Assembly of Experts" (which elects the Supreme Leader). City and Village Council elections are also held every four years throughout the ...

Work

Ayatollah Yazdi authored several books in English and Persian such as, ''Your missing'', ''Answers of Mardooq's accusations'' and ''Imamah in

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 ...

Islam''.

Death

Yazdi died on 9 December 2020. He was buried in

later that day.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yazdi, Mohammad 1931 births 2020 deaths Chief justices of Iran Combatant Clergy Association politicians Deputies of Tehran, Rey, Shemiranat and Eslamshahr First deputies of Islamic Consultative Assembly Iranian ayatollahs Iranian individuals subject to U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctions Islamic Republican Party politicians Members of the 1st Islamic Consultative Assembly Members of the 2nd Islamic Consultative Assembly Members of the Assembly of Experts for Constitution Members of the Guardian Council Second deputies of Islamic Consultative Assembly Shia clerics from Isfahan Society of Seminary Teachers of Qom members Speakers of the Assembly of Experts Burials at Fatima Masumeh Shrine