The Iranian pragmatists are a political faction in Iran composed of moderate clerics and the merchant elite that see the Islamic Republic as a mean to retain power. [1] The pragmatic faction is receptive to negotiate with the West and many would prefer a socialist market economy rather than closed markets. [lower-alpha 1] [lower-alpha 2]
Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani was an Iranian politician, writer, and one of the founding fathers of the Islamic Republic who was the fourth president of Iran from 3 August 1989 until 3 August 1997. He was the head of the Assembly of Experts from 2007 until 2011 when he decided not to nominate himself for the post. He was also the chairman of the Expediency Discernment Council.
The Expediency Discernment Council of the System is an administrative assembly appointed by the Supreme Leader and was created upon the revision to the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran on 6 February 1988. It was originally set up to resolve differences or conflicts between the Majlis and the Guardian Council, but "its true power lies more in its advisory role to the Supreme Leader." According to Hooman Majd, the Leader "delegated some of his own authority to the council—granting it supervisory powers over all branches of the government" following President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's election in 2005.
Ali Ardeshir Larijani is an Iranian conservative politician, philosopher and former military officer in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, who served as the Speaker of the Parliament of Iran from 2008 to 2020. Larijani was the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council from 15 August 2005 to 20 October 2007, appointed to the position by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, replacing Hassan Rouhani. Acceptance of Larijani's resignation from the secretary position was announced on 20 October 2007 by Gholam-Hossein Elham, the Iranian government's spokesman, mentioning that his previous resignations were turned down by President Ahmadinejad.
Mohsen Rezaee is an Iranian conservative politician affiliated with the Resistance Front of Islamic Iran and senior military officer in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, who currently holds office as the Vice President of Iran for Economic Affairs, secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council, secretary of the Supreme Council for Economic Coordination, as well as the secretary of the Iranian government's Economic Committee.
Hossein Shariatmadari is the managing editor of Kayhan, a conservative Iranian newspaper.
Mohammad-Hossein Saffar-Harandi is an Iranian politician who was minister of culture and Islamic guidance of Iran from 21 August 2005 until 23 July 2009 when he resigned after opposing the appointment of Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei as vice president. He is currently member of the Expediency Discernment Council.
Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi is an Iranian politician and prosecutor, who has served at different positions and cabinet posts. He was minister of interior from 2005 to 2008 and minister of justice from 2013 until 2017. Pourmohammadi is reportedly implicated in the 1988 Massacre of Iranian Prisoners.
The history of Islamic fundamentalism in Iran covers the historical development of Islamic fundamentalism, Islamism, Islamic revivalism, and the rise of political Islam in modern Iran. Today, there are basically three types of Islam in Iran: traditionalism, modernism, and a variety of forms of revivalism usually brought together as fundamentalism. Neo-fundamentalists in Iran are a subgroup of fundamentalists who have also borrowed from Western countercurrents of populism, fascism, anarchism, Jacobinism, and Marxism. The term "Principlists" or Osoulgarayan, is an umbrella term commonly used in Iranian politics to refer to a variety of conservative circles and parties. The term contrasts with reformists or Eslaah-Talabaan, who seek religious and constitutional reforms in Iran.
Moderation and Development Party is a political party in Iran. It is a pragmatic-centrist political party which held its first congress in 2002.
Alireza Nader was an International Policy Analyst at the Rand Corporation and author of a number of reports for the Rand Corporation on Iran. He subsequently worked as an advisor to Anti-Defamation League (ADL). He currently serves on the ADL's Task Force to Protect Minority Communities of Middle East. He has given interviews for BBC Arabic, BBC Persian, Voice of America. He has also given testimony on human rights abuses in Iran before the United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on The Middle East and South Asia.
Hassan Rouhani is an Iranian politician who served as the seventh president of Iran from 3 August 2013 until 3 August 2021. He is also a sharia lawyer ("Wakil"), academic, former diplomat and Islamic cleric. He has been a member of Iran's Assembly of Experts since 1999. He was a member of the Expediency Council from 1991 to 2021, and also was a member of the Supreme National Security Council from 1989 to 2021. Rouhani was deputy speaker of the fourth and fifth terms of the Parliament of Iran (Majlis) 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, UK, France, and Germany, on nuclear technology in Iran, and has also served as a Shia mujtahid, and economic trade negotiator.
Mohsen Qomi is an Iranian cleric, conservative politician and a member of the Assembly of Experts.
Hossein Dehghani Poudeh, commonly known as Hossein Dehghan, is a former IRGC air force officer with the rank of brigadier general and the former minister of defense of Iran. He was designated for the position by President Hassan Rouhani on 4 August 2013 and confirmed by the parliament on 15 August. He left the office on 20 August 2017.
The Principlists, also interchangeably known as the Iranian Conservatives and formerly referred to as the Right or Right-wing, are one of two main political camps inside post-revolutionary Iran, the other being Reformists. The term hardliners that some western sources use in the Iranian political context usually refers to the faction, although the principlist camp also includes more centrist tendencies.
General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran is the most senior military body in Iran, with an aim to implement policy, monitor and coordinate activities within the Armed Forces.
Politics in Iran are dictated by factionalism.
Ministry of Guards was a government ministry in Iran between 1982 and 1989, which mainly acted as a ministry of defence dedicated to logistically supply the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. By having its own ministry, the Corps were able to acquire a powerful voice in the cabinet of Iran. It also implied greater regulation and supervision over the Corps by placing its acquisitions and purchases under and the audit and purview of the government.
Alireza Afshar is an Iranian military officer. He served as the political deputy to the Minister of Interior, being appointed in August 2007. In this capacity, he served as head of Country's Election Headquarters during 2008 Iranian legislative election.
Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr is an Iranian retired military commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps who currently serves as the Secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council. He was formerly the deputy for strategic, societal–security and crime prevention affairs in the Judicial system of Iran. He is also a former Deputy Interior Minister for Security Affairs under Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.