Decisionmakers in Iran: Who’s Who

August 13, 2007

Supreme Leader: Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Responsibilities: In charge of all critical domestic and foreign policy decisions. Appoints leaders of judiciary, state media, and half of the Council of Guardians. Controls military and intelligence apparatus and is the only person empowered to declare war.

Council of Guardians
Chairman: Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati Massah
Responsibilities: 12-member (6 clerics, 6 lawyers) highly influential body nominated by the Supreme Leader and the judiciary, whose nominees are approved by parliament. The council has veto power on all bills passed by parliament, as well as all candidates for parliament, and the presidency.

Expediency Discernment Council
Chairman: Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
Responsibilities: Policy advisers to the Supreme Leader and mediators of Guardian Council-parliament legislative disputes. Includes heads of judiciary, legislative, and executive branches, clerics of the Guardian Council, and other members appointed by the Supreme Leader.
President: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Responsibilities: Sets economic policy, organizes the cabinet, selects government policies to be considered in parliament. In government matters such as military and intelligence policy, has only nominal power.

Supreme National Security Council
Secretary: Ali Ardashir Larijani
Responsibilities: Body that determines and coordinates specific national security policies within the Supreme Leader’s general framework. It has the lead on the nuclear issue, but its decisions must be ratified by the Supreme Leader. The council is composed of legislative, judiciary, executive, military, and appointed leaders. The secretary is chosen by the president.
Ambassador to Iraq: Hasan Kazemi Qomi
Responsibilities: Assisting with reconstruction and representing the Islamic Republic’s interests in high-level meetings with both Iraqi and American diplomats. Ambassador Qomi is the first Iranian Ambassador to Iraq in 20 years, and his presence signals an expanded role for Iran in Iraq.

In-Depth Coverage

Original Commentaries

08/20/10: Center for American Progress Welcomes Resumption of Direct Talks —
08/10/10: A View from the Ground —Darbaz Kosrat Rasul, chair, Rebaz Foundation. Interview with Middle East Bulletin.
08/03/10: U.S.-Turkish Relations —Ambassador Francis J. Ricciardone, Jr., recently returned deputy ambassador in Afghanistan; former ambassador to Egypt (2005-2008); and deputy chief of mission and charge d'affaires in U.S. embassy in Turkey (1995-1999). Congressional Testimony.

Setting the Record Straight

Eye Still on the Ball

“Adverse developments in Iraq will be (and will look to be) increasingly a function of the Obama Team taking their eye off of the ball and rushing to declare mission accomplished. Yes, in such a scenario the Iraqis should bear most of the blame, but the part that is due to U.S. action or inaction will be Obama's responsibility. And it will matter. Iraq is at the center of a region that every president since Jimmy Carter has identified as vital to our national security. Iraq is next door to, and the playground for mischief from, the most thorny national security challenge the United States faces: a nuclear-weapons-seeking Iranian regime. These inconvenient facts mean that if the Iraqi situation demands more focused and costly U.S. attention, it will likely get it. At that point, what sort of domestic coalition will be available for President Obama's Iraq policy?”
—Peter Feaver, director, Triangle Institute for Security Studies; former director for defense policy and arms control, National Security Council, “Obama’s Iraq Speech: Another Missed Opportunity,” Foreign Policy, August 3, 2010

“Iraq is a strategically important place in the Middle East, just by its geographic location, by its population, by the influence it's had in the Middle East for a long time. So neighboring countries from around the Middle East have an interest inside of Iraq.

“But I will tell you that I think Iraqis themselves are nationalistic in nature, and that's why it's important. A strong Iraq will defend itself against interference from outside countries, and I think as we build a strong Iraq and as we continue to build a strong security mechanism and as we continue to help them economically and diplomatically, that will make it less likely of others from the outside being able to interfere.

“Now, for the vacuum as we see today, again, I remind everyone is that we still have a significant presence here, and we are not going to—we will not allow undue maligned influence on the Iraqi government as they attempt to form their government. What we're trying to do is provide them the space and time for them to do that, and we will continue to do that post 1 September. We'll still have a significant civilian presence, and again, we'll still have 50,000 troops on the ground here to ensure that this government can be formed by the Iraqis. And that all the other nations respect their sovereignty as they go about forming their government.”
—General Ray Odierno, commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, interview, “This Week” with Christiane Amanpour, August 8, 2010

Middle East Analysis

As Obama Talks Peace, Many Iraqis Are Unsure —Anthony Shadid (The New York Times)
The Premiership —Sean Kane, program officer for Iraq programs, Center of Post-Conflict Peace and Stability Operations, U.S. Institute of Peace (Peace Brief)
Iraq, the Region’s Prized Bull —Jamil K. Mroue, publisher and editor in chief, The Daily Star

Upcoming Events

The Road Forward on Middle East Peace

Event: October 1, 2009 - 12:00pm-1:00pm

Introduction:
Winnie Stachelberg, Senior Vice President for External Affairs, Center for American Progress

Featured speaker:
Congressman Robert Wexler (D-FL)

Moderated by:
Moran Banai, U.S. Editor of Middle East Bulletin