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Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
President of Iran from 2005 to 2013

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (né Sabbaghian; 28 October 1956) is an Iranian politician who served as the sixth president of Iran from 2005 to 2013. An engineer and teacher shaped by thinkers like Navvab Safavi, he was mayor of Tehran before his presidency, supported by the Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran. His leadership was controversial domestically and internationally, with criticism over economic policies and human rights, as well as hostility toward countries such as Israel. Ahmadinejad strongly backed Iran’s nuclear programme, faced protests following his disputed 2009 re-election, and clashed with figures including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Attempts to run again in later elections were rejected by the Guardian Council.

Early life and education

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was born on 28 October 1956 in the village of Aradan, near Garmsar, Semnan province. His mother, Khanom, was a Sayyida, an honorific title given to those believed to be direct bloodline descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.34 His father, Ahmad, was a Persian grocer and barber, and was a religious Shia Muslim who taught the Quran.35

When Mahmoud was one year old, his family moved to Tehran. Mahmoud's father changed their family name from "Saborjhian"36 or "Sabbaghian" (Persian: صباغیان)3738 to Ahmadinejad in 1960 to avoid discrimination when the family moved to the city.39 Sabor is Persian for thread-painter,40 a once common occupation within the Semnan carpet industry. Ahmadinejad is a composite of Ahmadi and Nejad. Ahmad was his father's name. The suffix Nejad in Persian means race, therefore the term Ahmadi Nejad means "the lineage of Ahmad". According to the interviews with the relatives of Ahmadi Nejad, his father, at that point working as a shopkeeper, sold his house in Tehran and bought a smaller house, giving the excess funds to charity and poor people.41

In 1976, Ahmadinejad took Iran's national university entrance examination. According to his autobiography, he was ranked 132nd out of 400,000 participants that year,42 and soon enrolled in the Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST), located at Tehran, as an undergraduate student of civil engineering. He would later earn his doctorate in 1997 in transportation engineering and planning from Iran University of Science and Technology as well, when he was the mayor of Ardabil Province, located at the north-west of the country.

Administrative and academic careers

Some details of Ahmadinejad's life during the 1980s are not publicly known, but it is known that he held a number of administrative posts in the province of West Azerbaijan, Iran.43

Many reports say that after Saddam Hussein ordered the invasion of Iran, Ahmadinejad joined the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and served in their intelligence and security apparatus, but his advisor Mojtaba Samareh Hashemi has said: "He has never been a member or an official member of the Revolutionary Guards", having been a Basiji-like volunteer instead.44

Ahmadinejad was accepted to a Master of Science program at his alma mater in 1986. He joined the faculty there as a lecturer in 1989,4546 and in 1997 received his doctorate in civil engineering and traffic transportation planning.47

Early political career

After the Islamic Revolution, Ahmadinejad became a member of the Office for Strengthening Unity,48 an organization developed to prevent students from sympathizing or allying with the emerging militant Mojahedin-e Khalq organisation.49

Ahmadinejad first assumed political office as unelected governor to both Maku and Khoy in West Azarbaijan Province during the 1980s. He eventually became an advisor to the governor general of Kurdistan Province for two years.5051 During his doctoral studies at Tehran, he was appointed governor general of newly formed Ardabil Province from 1993 until Mohammad Khatami removed him in 1997, whereupon he returned to teaching.52

Mayor of Tehran (2003–2005)

The 2003 mayoral race in Tehran elected conservative candidates from the Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran to the City Council of Tehran. The Council appointed Ahmadinejad mayor.

As mayor, he reversed changes made by previous moderate and reformist mayors. He put religious emphasis on the activities of cultural centres they had founded, publicised the separation of elevators for men and women in the municipality offices,53 and suggested that people killed in the Iran–Iraq War be buried in major city squares of Tehran. He also worked to improve the traffic system and put an emphasis on charity, such as distributing free soup to the poor.

After his election to the presidency, Ahmadinejad's resignation as the Mayor of Tehran was accepted on 28 June 2005. After two years as mayor, Ahmadinejad was one of 65 finalists for World Mayor in 2005, selected from 550 nominees, only nine of them from Asia.54 He was among three strong candidates for the top-ten list, but his resignation made him ineligible.55

Presidency (2005–2013)

Further information: Presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Election

2005 campaign

Ahmadinejad was not particularly well known when he entered the presidential election campaign as he had never run for office before, (he had been mayor of Tehran for only two years and had been appointed, not elected),56: 315  although he had already made his mark in Tehran for rolling back earlier reforms. He was/is a member of the Central Council of the Islamic Society of Engineers, but his key political support is inside the Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran (Abadgaran or Developers).57 He was also helped by support from supreme leader Ali Khamenei, of whom some described Ahmadinejad as a protégé.58

Ahmadinejad was largely non-committal about his plans for his presidency, perhaps to attract both religious conservatives and the lower economic classes.59 His campaign slogan was: "It's possible and we can do it".60

In the campaign, he took a populist approach. He emphasized his own modest life, and compared himself with Mohammad Ali Rajai, Iran's second president. Ahmadinejad said he planned to create an "exemplary government for the people of the world" in Iran. He was a "principlist", acting politically based on Islamic and revolutionary principles. One of his goals was "putting the petroleum income on people's tables", meaning Iran's oil profits would be distributed among the poor.61

Ahmadinejad was the only presidential candidate who spoke out against future relations with the United States. He told Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting the United Nations was "one-sided, stacked against the world of Islam." He opposed the veto power of the UN Security Council's five permanent members: "It is not just for a few states to sit and veto global approvals. Should such a privilege continue to exist, the Muslim world with a population of nearly 1.5 billion should be extended the same privilege." He defended Iran's nuclear program and accused "a few arrogant powers" of trying to limit Iran's industrial and technological development in this and other fields.

In his second-round campaign, he said, "We didn't participate in the revolution for turn-by-turn government. ... This revolution tries to reach a world-wide government." He spoke of an extended program using trade to improve foreign relations, and called for greater ties with Iran's neighbours and ending visa requirements between states in the region, saying that "people should visit anywhere they wish freely. People should have freedom in their pilgrimages and tours."62

Ahmadinejad described Ayatollah Mohammad Taghi Mesbah Yazdi, a senior cleric from Qom, as his ideological and spiritual mentor. Mesbah founded the Haghani School of thought in Iran. He and his team strongly supported Ahmadinejad's 2005 presidential campaign.63

2005 presidential election

Main article: 2005 Iranian presidential election

Ahmadinejad won 62% of the vote in the run-off poll against Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei authorized his presidency on 3 August 2005.6465 Ahmadinejad kissed Khamenei's hand during the ceremony to show his loyalty.6667

Shortly after Ahmadinejad was elected president, some Western media outlets published claims that he was among the students who stormed the US embassy in Tehran, sparking the Iran hostage crisis. This claim has been denied by the Iranian government, the Iranian opposition, as well as an American investigation by the CIA.68

2005 cabinet appointments

MinistryMinister
AgricultureMohammad Reza Eskandari
CommerceMasoud Mir Kazemi
Communication and Information TechnologyMohammad Soleimani
CooperativesMohammad Abbasi
Culture and Islamic GuidanceHossein Saffar Harandi
Defense and Armed Forces LogisticsMostafa Mohammad Najjar
Economy and Financial AffairsHossein Samsami
EducationAlireza Ali Ahmadi
EnergyParviz Fattah
Foreign AffairsManoucher Mottaki
Health and Medical EducationKamran Bagheri Lankarani
Housing and Urban DevelopmentMohammad Saeedikia
Industries and MinesAliakbar Mehrabian
IntelligenceGholam Hossein Mohseni-Ejehei
InteriorMostafa Pour-Mohammadi69
JusticeGholam Hossein Elham
Labour and Social AffairsMohammad Jahromi
PetroleumGholam Hossein Nozari
Roads and TransportationHamid Behbahani
Science, Research, and TechnologyMohammad Mehdi Zahedi
Welfare and Social SecurityAbdolreza Mesri

Iran's president is constitutionally obliged to obtain confirmation from the parliament for his selection of ministers.70 Ahmadinejad presented a short-list at a private meeting on 5 August, and his final list on 14 August. The Majlis rejected all of his cabinet candidates for the oil portfolio and objected to the appointment of his allies in senior government office.71 The Majlis approved a cabinet on 24 August.72 The ministers promised to meet frequently outside Tehran and held their first meeting on 25 August in Mashhad, with four empty seats for the unapproved nominees.73

2006 councils and Assembly of Experts election

Main articles: 2006 Iranian councils election and Iranian Assembly of Experts election, 2006

Ahmadinejad's team lost the 2006 city council elections.74 In the first nationwide election since Ahmadinejad became president, his allies failed to dominate election returns for the Assembly of Experts and local councils. Results, with a turnout of about 60%, suggested a voter shift toward more moderate policies. According to an editorial in the Kargozaran independent daily newspaper, "The results show that voters have learned from the past and concluded that we need to support... moderate figures." An Iranian political analyst said that "this is a blow for Ahmadinejad and Mesbah Yazdi's list."75

2009 presidential election

Main article: 2009 Iranian presidential election

On 23 August 2008, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei announced that he "sees Ahmadinejad as president in the next five years," a comment interpreted as indicating support for Ahmadinejad's reelection.76 39,165,191 ballots were cast in the election on 12 June 2009, according to Iran's election headquarters. Ahmadinejad won 24,527,516 votes, (62.63%). In second place, Mir-Hossein Mousavi, won 13,216,411 (33.75%) of the votes.77

2009 presidential election protests

Main article: 2009 Iranian election protests

The election results remained in dispute with both Mousavi and Ahmadinejad and their respective supporters who believe that electoral fraud occurred during the election. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei formally endorsed Ahmadinejad as president on 3 August 2009, and Ahmadinejad was sworn in for a second term on 5 August 2009.78 Iran's Constitution stipulates term limits of two terms for the office of President.79 Several Iranian political figures appeared to avoid the ceremony. Former presidents Mohammad Khatami, and Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who was then head of the Expediency Discernment Council, along with opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, did not attend the ceremony.80 Opposition groups asked protesters on reformist websites and blogs to launch new street demonstrations on the day of the inauguration ceremony.81 On inauguration day, hundreds of riot police met opposition protesters outside parliament. After taking the oath of office, which was broadcast live on Iranian state television, Ahmadinejad said that he would "protect the official faith, the system of the Islamic revolution and the constitution."82 France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States announced that they would not send the usual letters of congratulation.83

2009 cabinet appointments

MinistryMinister
AgricultureSadeq Khalilian
CommerceMehdi Ghazanfari
Communication and Information TechnologyReza Taghipour
CooperativesMohammad Abbasi
Culture and Islamic GuidanceMohammad Hosseini
Defense and Armed Forces LogisticsAhmad Vahidi
Economy and Financial AffairsShamseddin Hosseini
EducationHamid-Reza Haji Babaee
EnergyMajid Namjoo
Foreign AffairsManouchehr Mottaki
Health and Medical EducationMarzieh Vahid Dastjerdi
Housing and Urban DevelopmentReza Sheykholeslam
Industries and MinesAliakbar Mehrabian
IntelligenceHeydar Moslehi
InteriorMostafa Mohammad Najjar
JusticeMorteza Bakhtiari
Labour and Social AffairsAli Nikzad
PetroleumMasoud Mir Kazemi
Roads and TransportationHamid Behbahani
Science, Research, and TechnologyKamran Daneshjoo
Welfare and Social SecuritySadeq Mahsouli

Ahmadinejad announced controversial ministerial appointments for his second term. Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei was briefly appointed as first vice president, but opposed by a number of Majlis members and by the intelligence minister, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i. Mashaei followed orders to resign. Ahmadinejad then appointed Mashaei as chief of staff, and fired Mohseni-Eje'i.84

On 26 July 2009, Ahmadinejad's government faced a legal problem after he sacked four ministers. Iran's constitution (Article 136) stipulates that, if more than half of its members are replaced, the cabinet may not meet or act before the Majlis approves the revised membership.85 The vice chairman of the Majlis announced that no cabinet meetings or decisions would be legal, pending such a re-approval.86

On 4 September 2009, the Majlis approved 18 of the 21 cabinet candidates, and rejected three, including two women. Sousan Keshavarz, Mohammad Aliabadi, and Fatemeh Ajorlou were not approved by Majlis for the Ministries of Education, Energy, and Welfare and Social Security, respectively. Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi was the first woman approved by the Majlis as a minister in the Islamic Republic of Iran.87

2012 parliamentary elections

Ahmadinejad suffered a defeat in March/May 2012 parliamentary elections with Ayatollah Khamenei's "Principalist" allies winning about three quarters of the parliaments 290 seats, and Ahmadinejad supporters far fewer.88

Domestic policy

Economic policy

See also: Economy of Iran

In Ahmadinejad's first four years as president, Iran's real GDP reflected growth of the economy. Inflation and unemployment also decreased under Ahmadinejad due to better economic management and ending the unsustainable spending and borrowing patterns of previous administrations .89 Ahmadinejad increased spending by 25% and supported subsidies for food and petrol. He also initially refused a gradual increase of petrol prices, saying that after making necessary preparations, such as a development of public transportation system, the government would free up petrol prices after five years.90 Interest rates were cut by presidential decree to below the inflation rate. One unintended effect of this stimulation of the economy has been the bidding up of some urban real estate prices by two or three times their pre-Ahmadinejad value by Iranians seeking to invest surplus cash and finding few other safe opportunities. The resulting increase in the cost of housing hurt poorer, non-property owning Iranians, the putative beneficiaries of Ahmadinejad's populist policies.91 The Management and Planning Organisation, a state body charged with mapping out long-term economic and budget strategy, was broken up and its experienced managers were fired.92

In June 2006, 50 Iranian economists wrote a letter to Ahmadinejad that criticized his price interventions to stabilize prices of goods, cement, government services, and his decree issued by the High Labor Council and the Ministry of Labor that proposed an increase of workers' salaries by 40%. Ahmadinejad publicly responded harshly to the letter and denounced the accusations.9394 Ahmadinejad called for "middle-of-the-road" compromises with respect to Western-oriented capitalism and socialism. Current political conflicts with the United States caused the central bank to fear increased capital flight due to global isolation. These factors prevented an improvement of infrastructure and capital influx, despite high economic potential.95 Among those that did not vote for him in the first election, only 3.5% said they would consider voting for him in the next election.96 Mohammad Khoshchehreh, a member of the Iranian parliament that campaigned for Ahmadinejad, said that his government "has been strong on populist slogans, but weak on achievement."97

President Ahmadinejad changed almost all of his economic ministers, including oil, industry and economy, since coming to power in 2005. In an interview with Fars News Agency in April 2008, Davoud Danesh Jaafari who acted as minister of economy in Ahmadinejad's cabinet, harshly criticized his economic policy: "During my time, there was no positive attitude towards previous experiences or experienced people and there was no plan for the future. Peripheral issues which were not of dire importance to the nation were given priority. Most of the scientific economic concepts like the effect of liquidity on inflation were put in question."98 In response to these criticisms, Ahmadinejad accused his minister of not being "a man of justice" and declared that the solution to Iran's economic problem is "the culture of martyrdom".99 In May 2008, the petroleum minister of Iran admitted that the government illegally invested 2 billion dollars to import petrol in 2007. At Iranian parliament, he also mentioned that he simply followed the president's order.100

While his government had 275 thousand billion toman oil income, the highest in Iranian history, Ahmadinejad's government had the highest budget deficit since the Iranian revolution.101

During his presidency, Ahmadinejad launched a gasoline rationing plan to reduce the country's fuel consumption. He also instituted cuts in the interest rates that private and public banking facilities could charge.102103104 He issued a directive that the Management and Planning Organization be affiliated to the government.105 In May 2011, Ahmadinejad announced that he would temporarily run the Oil Ministry.106

Family planning and population policy

See also: Family planning in Iran

In October 2006, Ahmadinejad began calling for the scrapping of Iran's existing birth-control policies which discouraged Iranian couples from having more than two children. He told MPs that Iran could cope with 50 million more people than the current 70 million. In November 2010, he urged Iranians to marry and reproduce earlier: "We should take the age of marriage for boys to 20 and for girls to about 16 and 17."107 His remarks have drawn criticism and been called ill-judged at a time when Iran was struggling with surging inflation and rising unemployment, estimated at 11%. Ahmadinejad's call was reminiscent of a call for Iranians to have more children made by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1979. The policy had increased Iran's population by 16 million in seven years108: 321  but had eventually been reversed in response to the resultant economic strain.109

In 2008, the government sent the "Family Protection Bill" to the Iranian parliament. Women's rights activists criticized the bill for removing protections from women, such as the requirement that a husband obtain his wife's consent before marrying a second wife. Women's rights in Iran are more religiously based than those in secular countries.110

Housing

See also: Construction industry of Iran § Mehr Housing Scheme

The first legislation to emerge from his newly formed government was a 12 trillion rial (US$1.3 billion) fund called "Reza's Compassion Fund",111 named after Shi'a Imam Ali al-Rida. Ahmadinejad's government said this fund would tap Iran's oil revenues to help young people get jobs, afford marriage, and buy their own homes.112 The fund also sought charitable donations, with a board of trustees in each of Iran's 30 provinces. The legislation was a response to the cost of urban housing, which is pushing up the national average marital age (currently around 25 years for women and 28 years for men). In 2006 the Iranian parliament rejected the fund; however, Ahmadinejad ordered the administrative council to execute the plan.113

Human rights

See also: Human rights in Iran

According to a report by Human Rights Watch, "Since President Ahmadinejad came to power, treatment of detainees has worsened in Evin Prison as well as in detention centers operated clandestinely by the Judiciary, the Ministry of Information, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps."114: 464  Human Rights Watch also has stated, "Respect for basic human rights in Iran, especially freedom of expression and assembly, deteriorated in 2006. The government routinely tortures and mistreats detained dissidents, including through prolonged solitary confinement."115: 463  Human Rights Watch described the source of human rights violations in contemporary Iran as coming from the Judiciary, accountable to Ali Khamenei, and from members directly appointed by Ahmadinejad. Responses to dissent have varied. Human Rights Watch writes that "the Ahmadinejad government, in a pronounced shift from the policy under former president Mohammed Khatami, has shown no tolerance for peaceful protests and gatherings." In December 2006, Ahmadinejad advised officials not to disturb students who engaged in a protest during a speech of his at the Amirkabir University of Technology in Tehran,116117118 although speakers at other protests have included among their complaints that there had been a crackdown on dissent at universities since Ahmadinejad was elected.119 In April 2007, the Tehran police, which is under Khamenei's supervision, began a crackdown on women with "improper hijab". This led to criticism from associates of Ahmadinejad.120 In 2012, Ahmadinejad claimed that AIDS was created by the West in order to weaken poorer countries, and repeated a previous claim that homosexual Iranians did not exist.121 He has also described homosexuality as "ugly".122123

Universities

See also: Higher education in Iran

In 2006, the Ahmadinejad124 government reportedly forced numerous Iranian scientists and university professors to resign or to retire. It has been referred to as the "second cultural revolution".125126 The policy has been said to replace old professors with younger ones.127 Some university professors received letters indicating their early retirement unexpectedly.128 In November 2006, 53 university professors had to retire from Iran University of Science and Technology.129

In 2006, Ahmadinejad's government applied a 50% quota for male students and 50% for female students in the university entrance exam for medicine, dentistry and pharmacy. The plan was supposed to stop the growing presence of female students in the universities. In a response to critics, Iranian minister of health and medical education, Kamran Bagheri Lankarani argued that there are not enough facilities such as dormitories for female students. Masoud Salehi, president of Zahedan University said that presence of women generates some problems with transportation. Also, Ebrahim Mekaniki, president of Babol University of Medical Sciences, stated that an increase in the presence of women will make it difficult to distribute facilities in a suitable manner. Bagher Larijani, the president of Tehran University of Medical Sciences made similar remarks. According to Rooz Online, the quotas lack a legal foundation and are justified as support for "family" and "religion".

December 2006 student protest

In December 2006, it was reported that some students were angry about the International Conference to Review the Global Vision of the Holocaust, which they saw as promoting Holocaust denial.130

In response to the students' slogans, the president said: "We have been standing up to dictatorship so that no one will dare to establish dictatorship in a millennium even in the name of freedom. Given the scars inflicted on the Iranian nation by agents of the US and British dictatorship, no one will ever dare to initiate the rise of a dictator."131 It was reported that even though the protesters broke the TV cameras and threw hand-made bombs at Ahmadinejad,132 the president asked the officials not to question or disturb the protesters.133134 In his blog, Ahmadinejad described his reaction to the incident as "a feeling of joy" because of the freedom that people enjoyed after the revolution.135

One thousand students also protested the day before to denounce the increased pressure on the reformist groups at the university. One week prior, more than two thousand students protested at Tehran University on the country's annual student day, with speakers saying that there had been a crackdown on dissent at universities since Ahmadinejad was elected.136137

Nuclear program

See also: Nuclear program of Iran

Ahmadinejad has been a vocal supporter of Iran's nuclear program, and has insisted that it is for peaceful purposes. He has repeatedly emphasized that building a nuclear bomb is not the policy of his government. He has said that such a policy is "illegal and against our religion".138139 He also added at a January 2006 conference in Tehran that a nation with "culture, logic and civilization" would not need nuclear weapons, and that countries that seek nuclear weapons are those that want to solve all problems by the use of force.140

In April 2006, Ahmadinejad announced that Iran had successfully refined uranium to a stage suitable for the nuclear fuel cycle. In a speech to students and academics in Mashhad, he was quoted as saying that Iran's conditions had changed completely as it had become a nuclear state and could talk to other states from that stand.141 On 13 April 2006, Iran's news agency, Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), quoted Ahmadinejad as saying that the peaceful Iranian nuclear technology would not pose a threat to any party because "we want peace and stability and we will not cause injustice to anyone and at the same time we will not submit to injustice."142 Nevertheless, Iran's nuclear policy under Ahmadinejad's administration received much criticism, spearheaded by the United States and Israel. The accusations include that Iran is striving to obtain nuclear arms and developing long-range firing capabilities—and that Ahmadinejad issued an order to keep UN inspectors from freely visiting the nation's nuclear facilities and viewing their designs, in defiance of an IAEA resolution.143144145146 Following a May 2009 test launch of a long-range missile, Ahmadinejad was quoted as telling the crowd that with its nuclear program, Iran was sending the West a message that "the Islamic Republic of Iran is running the show."147

Despite Ahmadinejad's vocal support for the program, the office of the Iranian president is not directly responsible for nuclear policy. It is instead set by the Supreme National Security Council. The council includes two representatives appointed by the Supreme Leader, military officials, and members of the executive, judicial, and legislative branches of government, and reports directly to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who issued a fatwa against nuclear weapons in 2005.148 Khamenei has criticized Ahmadinejad's "personalization" of the nuclear issue.149

Ahmadinejad vowed in February 2008 that Iran will not be held back from developing its peaceful nuclear program.150

In October 2009, the United States, France, and Russia proposed a U.N.-drafted deal with Iran regarding its nuclear program, in an effort to find a compromise between Iran's stated need for a nuclear reactor and the concerns of those who are worried that Iran harbors a secret intent of developing a nuclear weapon. After some delay in responding, on 29 October, Ahmadinejad seemed to change his tone towards the deal. "We welcome fuel exchange, nuclear co-operation, building of power plants and reactors and we are ready to co-operate," he said in a live broadcast on state television.151 He added that Iran would not retreat "one iota" on its right to a sovereign nuclear program.152

Domestic criticism and controversies

Accusations of corruption

See also: 2011 Iranian embezzlement scandal and Iran Insurance embezzlement case

According to Brussels-based NGO International Crisis Group, Ahmadinejad has been criticized for attacking private "plunderers" and "corrupt officials", while engaging in "cronyism and political favouritism". Many of his close associates were appointed to positions for which they have no obvious qualifications, and "billion dollar no-bid contracts" were awarded to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), an organization with which he is strongly associated.153

According to Najmeh Bozorgmehr of the Financial Times, "Iran has a long history of cronyism and corruption under its monarchies and the Islamic Republic. But the scale of corruption under Mr. Ahmadinejad was of a different order, according to both reform-minded and conservative politicians."154

Other statements

In June 2007, Ahmadinejad was criticized by some Iranian parliament members over his remark about Christianity and Judaism. According to Aftab News Agency, Ahmadinejad stated: "In the world, there are deviations from the right path: Christianity and Judaism. Dollars have been devoted to the propagation of these deviations. There are also false claims that these [religions] will save mankind. But Islam is the only religion that [can] save mankind." Some members of Iranian parliament criticized these remarks as being fuels to religious war.155156

Conservative MP Rafat Bayat has accused Ahmadinejad for a decline in observance of the required hijab for women, calling him "not that strict on this issue".157 Ahmadinejad was also accused of indecency by people close to Rafsanjani,158 after he publicly kissed the hand of a woman who used to be his school teacher.159

The UN and football stadiums

There are two statements that led to criticism from some religious authorities. One concerns his speech at the United Nations, and the other concerns the attendance of women at football matches. During a visit to group of Ayatollahs in Qom after returning from his 2005 speech to the UN General Assembly, Ahmadinejad stated he had "felt a halo over his head" during his speech and that a hidden presence had mesmerized the unblinking audience of foreign leaders, foreign ministers, and ambassadors. Ahmadinejad closed his speech with a call for the "mighty Lord" to "hasten the emergence" of Imam Mahdi.160 According to Iranian-American journalist Hooman Majd, the response given to Ahmadinejad at the assembly was offensive to the conservative religious leaders because an ordinary man cannot presume a special closeness to God or any of the Imams, nor can he imply the presence of the Mahdi.161

In another statement in 2006, Ahmadinejad proclaimed (without consulting the clerics beforehand), that women be allowed into football stadiums to watch male football clubs compete. This proclamation "was quickly overruled" by clerical authorities, one of whom, Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Fazel Lankarani "refused for weeks to meet with President Ahmadinejad" in early 2007.162

Constitutional conflict

In 2008, a serious conflict emerged between the Iranian President and the head of parliament over three laws approved by the Iranian parliament: "the agreement for civil and criminal legal cooperation between Iran and Kyrgyzstan", "the agreement to support mutual investment between Iran and Kuwait", and "the law for registration of industrial designs and trademarks". The conflict was so serious that the Iranian leader stepped in to resolve it. Ahmadinejad wrote a letter to the parliamentary speaker Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel, furiously denouncing him for the "inexplicable act" of bypassing the presidency by giving the order to implement legislation in an official newspaper. Ahmadinejad accused the head of parliament of violating Iranian constitutional law. He called for legal action against the parliament speaker.163 Haddad-Adel responded to Ahmadinejad accusing him of using inappropriate language in his remarks and letters.164

Ali Kordan

Main article: Ali Kordan

In August 2008, Ahmadinejad appointed Ali Kordan as interior minister. Kordan's appointment was heavily criticized by Iranian parliamentarians, media and analysts after it came to light that a doctoral degree purportedly awarded to Kordan was fabricated, and that the putative issuer of the degree, Oxford University, had no record of Kordan receiving any degree from the university.165 It was also revealed that he had been jailed in 1978 for moral charges.166

In November 2008, Ahmadinejad announced that he was against impeachment of Kordan by Iranian parliament. He refused to attend the parliament on the impeachment day.167 Kordan was expelled from office by Iranian parliament on 4 November 2008. 188 MPs voted against him. An impeachment of Kordan would push Ahmadinejad close to having to submit his entire cabinet for review by parliament, which was led by one of his chief political opponents. Iran's constitution requires that step if more than half the cabinet ministers are replaced, and Ahmadinejad replaced nine of 21 until that date.168169

Conflict with Parliament

In February 2009, after Supreme Audit Court of Iran reported that $1.058 billion of surplus oil revenue in the (2006–2007) budget hadn't been returned by the government to the national treasury,170 Tensions between Larijani and Ahmadinejad continued into 2013.171

Ahmadinejad criticized the National Audit Office for what he called its "carelessness", saying the report "incites the people" against the government.172

In May 2011, several members of parliament threatened to initiate impeachment proceedings against Ahmadinejad after his merger of eight government ministries and the firing of three ministers without parliament's consent. According to the Majles news website, MP Mohammad Reza Bahonar stated, "legal purging starts with questions, which lead to warnings and end with impeachment." On 25 May, parliament voted to investigate another allegation, that Ahmadinejad had committed election irregularities by giving cash to up to nine million Iranians before the 2009 presidential elections. The vote came within hours after the allegations appeared in several popular conservative news sites associated with supreme leader Ali Khamenei, suggesting the supreme leader supported the investigation.173 The disputes were seen as part of the clash between Ahmadinejad and other conservatives and former supporters, including supreme leader Khamenei, over what the conservatives see as Ahmadinejad's confrontational policies and abuse of power.174175

Relations with Supreme Leader of Iran

Early in his presidency, Ahmadinejad was sometimes described as "enjoy[ing] the full backing" of the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei,176 and even as being his "protege".177 In Ahmadinejad's 2005 inauguration the supreme leader allowed Ahmadinejad to kiss his hand and cheeks in what was called "a sign of closeness and loyalty",178 and after the 2009 election fully endorsed Ahmadinejad against protesters.

However, as early as January 2008, signs of disagreement between the two men developed over domestic policies,179 and by the period of 2010–11 several sources detected a "growing rift" between them.180181 The disagreement was described as centered on Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, a top adviser and close confidant of Ahmadinejad182 and opponent of "greater involvement of clerics in politics",183 who was first vice president of Iran until being ordered to resign from the cabinet by the supreme leader.

In 2009, Ahmadinejad dismissed Intelligence Minister Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i, an opponent of Mashaei. In April 2011, another Intelligence minister, Heydar Moslehi, resigned after being asked to by Ahmadinejad, but was reinstated by the supreme leader within hours.184185 Ahmadinejad declined to officially back Moslehi's reinstatement for two weeks and in protest engaged in an "11-day walkout" of cabinet meetings, religious ceremonies, and other official functions.186187 Ahmadinejad's actions led to angry public attacks by clerics, parliamentarians and military commanders, who accused him of ignoring orders from the supreme leader.188

Conservative opponents in parliament launched an "impeachment drive" against him,189 four websites with ties to Ahmadinejad reportedly were "filtered and blocked",190 and several people "said to be close" to the president and Mashaei (such as Abbas Amirifar and Mohammed Sharif Malekzadeh) were arrested on charges of being "magicians" and invoking djinns.191 On 6 May 2011, it was reported that Ahmadinejad had been given an ultimatum to accept the leader's intervention or resign,192 and on 8 May, he "apparently bowed" to the reinstatement, welcoming back Moslehi to a cabinet meeting.193 The events have been said to have "humiliated and weakened" Ahmadinejad, though the president denied that there had been any rift between the two,194 and according to the semiofficial Fars News Agency, he stated that his relationship with the supreme leader "is that of a father and a son".195

In 2012, Khamenei ordered a halt to a parliamentary inquiry into Ahmadinejad's mishandling of the Iranian economy.196 In 2016, Khamenei advised Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, his former ally with whom his relationship was strained after Ahmadinejad accused his son Mojtaba Khamenei of embezzling from the state treasury,197 to not run for president again.198199200201202

Hugo Chávez's funeral

Ahmadinejad was criticised by the religious and political groups in Iran for photographs taken of him embracing Elena Frias de Chávez, the mother of recently deceased Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez, at his funeral. In the image, Ahmadinejad was thought to be holding her hands and in a cheek-to-cheek embrace; such an act, touching an unrelated woman, is considered haraam (forbidden) in some interpretations of Islam.203204 Iranian government officials responded by stating that the image was a fake, then released a second photo showing Ahmadinejad in the same pose, but in this case hugging a man.205 This later photograph was debunked when it was discovered that the other man was Egyptian opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei, who had not been at the funeral.206

Nepotism

One of the most frequent criticisms about Ahmadinejad was the nepotism in his governments. Nepotism was one of his habits in appointing senior government officials.207208 His elder brother, Davoud, was appointed chief inspector at the presidency in 2005 and was in office until 2008.209210 His sister, Parvin, served at the presidential's women's center.211 His nephew, Ali Akbar Mehrabian, served as the mining and industry minister in his cabinet.212 His daughter's father-in-law, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, served at several senior positions.213214 His brother-in-law, Masoud Zaribafan, served as cabinet secretary.215

Foreign relations

Main article: Foreign policy of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

During Ahmadinejad's tenure as President of Iran the foreign policy of the country took a different approach from the previous administration. Relations with developed countries generally soured while relations with less-developed countries, including those in Africa and Latin America, rose. In light of the calls for sanctions on Iran for its nuclear weapons programme, Ahmadinejad and his foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, traveled extensively throughout the two regions, as well as hosted other leaders. Relations with the ALBA states, and Venezuela, Bolivia, and Ecuador, in particular, were most strengthened. Relations with America during the Bush administration and Israel deteriorated further.

Ahmadinejad is an outspoken critic of the Western world and is often criticized for his hostility towards the United States, Israel, the United Kingdom and other Western nations.216217

Israel

Main article: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Israel

Ahmadinejad abides by Iran's long-standing policy of refusing to recognize Israel as a legitimate state, and wants the Jewish people who immigrated to Israel to return to their "fatherlands".218

In 2005, Ahmadinejad, in a speech praising the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini, was translated by Iranian state-run media as saying that "Israel must be wiped off the map."219220221 A controversy erupted over the translation, with specialists such as Juan Cole of the University of Michigan and Arash Norouzi of the Mossadegh Project pointing out that the original statement in Farsi did not say that Israel should be wiped off the map, but instead that it would collapse.222223224 The words 'Israel', 'map', and 'to wipe off' are non-existent in the Iranian speech's original. According to another IRNA translation, on the occasion of a commemoration of the anniversary of Khomeini's death on 3 June 2008, Ahmadinejad stated that "The corrupt element will be wiped off the map."225 Contextually, Ahmadinejad was quoting Khomeini's words about the imminent disappearance of the Soviet Union and the Shah's regime, and tacked on his remarks concerning Israel. In Katajun Amirpur's analysis, there is no implication in the text that Iran intended destroying Israel or annihilating the Jewish people, any more than Khomeini was suggesting with his words that the Russians, or the Iranian people themselves under the Shah would be extinguished.226 Ahmadinejad is on the record as stating that Iran had no plans to attack Israel.227 The statement itself was in fact a citation, with a minute verbal variation, of a remark made by Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979, which had created no furor at the time, but did so when Ahmadinejad quoted them in 2005.228

Dan Meridor, Israel's minister of intelligence and atomic energy said during an Al Jazeera interview that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had repeatedly said "that Israel is an unnatural creature, it will not survive. They didn't say, 'We'll wipe it out,' you're right, but, 'It will not survive.'" adding "If Iran says this, and continues to pile up uranium that they enrich, and build missiles in big numbers, and have a nuclear military plan—if you put all this together, you can't say, they don't really mean it."229 The Washington Post's fact-checker editor Glenn Kessler says the interpretation gets murkier when Ahmadinejad's quote is set against other Iranian propaganda. Karim Sadjadpour, an Iranian specialist at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, cites proof that the Iranian government releases propaganda that clearly says Israel should be "wiped off". Joshua Teitelbaum of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs discovered pictures of Iranian propaganda banners that clearly say in English: "Israel should be wiped out of the face of the world."230231 In March 2016, Iran tested a ballistic missile painted with the phrase "Israel should be wiped off the Earth" in Hebrew. The missile is reported to be capable of reaching Israel.232233234235

The Official Web site of the President of Iran quoted Ahmadinejad as saying on 15 May 2011 "The reason for our insistence that the Zionist regime should be wiped out and vanished is that the Zionist regime is the main base for imposing oppression and harbors the main terrorists of the world."236

Holocaust denial controversy

He was strongly criticized after claiming that the Jews invented the Holocaust237 and making other statements influenced by "classic anti-Semitic ideas",238 which has led to accusations of antisemitism.239 Ahmadinejad denied that he was an antisemite, saying that he "respects Jews very much" and that he was not "passing judgment" on the Holocaust.240241242243 Later, Ahmadinejad claimed that promoting Holocaust denial was a major achievement of his presidency; he stated that "put[ting] it forward at the global level ... broke the spine of the Western capitalist regime". The comments appeared on the Arabic but not on the English version of Fars News Agency's website.244

Palestine

Ahmadinejad advocates "free elections" for the region, and believes Palestinians need a stronger voice in the region's future.245 On Quds Day in September 2010 he criticized the Palestinian Authority over its president's decision to renew direct peace talks with Israel saying the talks are "stillborn" and "doomed to fail", urging the Palestinians to continue armed resistance to Israel.246247 He said that Mahmoud Abbas had no authority to negotiate on behalf of the Palestinians.248249 Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesman for the Palestinian Authority, fired back, saying, Ahmadinejad "does not represent the Iranian people, ..., is not entitled to talk about Palestine, or the President of Palestine".250251

United States

See also: Iran–United States relations during the G.W. Bush administration and Iran–United States relations during the Obama administration

In September 2010, Ahmadinejad made a contentious assertion at the 65th session of the United Nations General Assembly by claiming that most people believe the United States government was behind the 9/11 attacks and later called for an inquiry, stating: "The fact-finding mission can shed light on who the perpetrators were, who is al-Qaeda ... where does it exist? Who was it backed by and supported? All these should come to light."252253 The speech triggered many countries' United Nations representatives to walk out, and US President Barack Obama described the claims as "inexcusable", "offensive" and "hateful".254 In 2010, Ahmadinejad reiterated the 9/11 conspiracy, and wrote:

Establishing an independent and impartial committee of investigation, which would determine the roots and causes of the regrettable event of 9/11, is the demand of all the peoples of the region and the world. ... Any opposition to this legal and human demand means that 9/11 was premeditated in order to achieve the goals of occupation and of confrontation with the nations.255

He made similar comments at the 66th session in September 2011.256257

Venezuela

Ahmadinejad is said to have "forged a close public friendship" with Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez. On Chavez's death in March 2013, Ahmadinejad posted a condolence message on his website stating, "I have no doubt that he [Chavez] will return alongside Jesus Christ and Mahdi to establish peace and justice in the world".258

Ahmad Khatami a senior Iranian cleric said that Ahmadinejad went "too far" with his comments. Hossein Rouhaninejad of Iran's Islamic development organisation said the president's remarks were against Shia Islam beliefs. Another senior cleric, Seyed Mahdi rebuke Ahmadinejad saying his comments were "legally and religiously wrong".259260

Post-presidency (2013–present)

Ahmadinejad left his office at Pasteur St. on 3 August 2013 and returned to his private house in Narmak.261

In an interview with CNN, Ahmadinejad said that, after the end of his presidency, he would return to the university and retire from politics; however, Ahmadinejad announced from Russia on the sidelines of an OPEC summit on 2 July 2013 that he might stay involved with politics by creating a new party or non-governmental organization.262 In late July, Mehr news agency reported that Ahmadinejad obtained permission from the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council to launch a university for post-graduate studies in Tehran.263 On 5 August 2013, the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei issued a decree appointing Ahmadinejad as a member of the Expediency Council.264 On 15 June 2015, a number of Ahmadinejad's cabinet ministers established a new political party, called YEKTA Front. The party published list for 2016 legislative election and some of Ahmadinejad's cabinet members (like Hamid-Reza Haji Babaee, Sadeq Khalilian, Mohammad Abbasi and Mahmoud Bahmani) registered for the election, but Ahmadinejad did not support any list in the election.

2017 presidential election

It was rumored that Ahmadinejad would run for president again in 2017 after he did not deny plans when questioned by the media in 2015.265 Ahmadinejad remained mostly out of the public eye after leaving office, but his anti-Western rhetoric and combative style remained popular among many Iranian Principlists, and he was widely viewed as among the most formidable political figures capable of unseating Hassan Rouhani. In December 2015, it was reported that he had begun his presidential campaign by appointing his campaign's chiefs. He also began provincial travels in April 2016 by traveling to Amol. Travels were continued until September 2016, when he traveled to Gorgan.266 Ahmadinejad's advisors said his travels were not electoral and he only delivered speeches due to public demand.267 In September 2016, it was rumored that Ahmadinejad had asked Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of Iran, for permission to run for the office and was rejected by Khamenei, who said that it was not in the best interests of Iran.268269 On 26 September 2016, Khamenei confirmed the news, but stated that it was only advice, not an order.270 It was the first time since Khamenei's election as Supreme Leader in 1989 that he advised a person to not run for election. Formerly, some candidates had asked him for advice (former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani for his campaign in 2005 and 2013), but Khamenei chose to not give his opinion on those occasions. The following day, Ahmadinejad officially announced he would not run in the upcoming 2017 presidential election.271 He later supported Hamid Baghaei's candidacy.272 However, Ahmadinejad registered as presidential candidate on 12 April 2017.273 He was disqualified by the Guardian Council on 20 April 2017, making him the second person after Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani to be barred from running for a third presidential term.274

2017–18 Iranian protests

During the 2017–18 Iranian protests, Ahmadinejad criticized the current government of Iran and later supreme leader Ali Khamenei.275

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine

On 2 March 2022, Ahmadinejad expressed his support for Ukraine and the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. On Twitter, he stated that Iran stands with Ukraine and expressed his admiration of the Ukrainian resistance while claiming that "the resistance uncovered the Satanic plots of enemies of mankind." He also warned the President of Russia Vladimir Putin that if he failed to stop the invasion, he would have "no achievement" to show for it, only remorse. Ahmadinejad's views on the Russian invasion are in stark contrast to the official pro-Russian stance of the Government of Iran, which blamed NATO and the United States for instigating the war.276277278

2024 presidential election

On 2 June, Ahmadinejad expressed interest in running in the election and applied to be considered as a candidate.279 However, he was disqualified from running on 9 June.280

U.S. sanctions

On 19 August 2023, following a prisoner swap between Iran and the United States, the United States Department of the Treasury sanctioned Ahmadinejad under Executive Order 14078 in September for his involvement in detaining several U.S. citizens.281 According to the Treasury Department, Ahmadinejad had provided material support to the Ministry of Intelligence and Security and during his presidency was involved with the detention of Robert Levinson and three U.S. hikers by appointing Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i and Heydar Moslehi in 2005 and 2009 as the Minister of Intelligence respectively, who oversaw the detention of U.S. citizens during their tenures. Ahmadinejad was also being considered for further sanctions under Executive Order 13599.282

Party affiliation

See also: Deviant current

Ahmadinejad has been an active and prominent member of the right-wing Islamic Society of Engineers since its establishment until 2005.283 As of 2014, he is still a member of the party but is not active since 2005.284 He was also a founding member of the Society of Devotees of the Islamic Revolution,285 but left in 2011.286

Since 2005, Ahmadinejad has introduced himself as non-partisan, even anti-party and did not try to gain support of political parties despite being supported by the conservative camp. A National Democratic Institute report published in 2009 states that Ahmadinejad is a self-described "principlist".287

Awards and honors

Public image

Ahmadinejad is known for his vulgarism, undiplomatic language and usage of slang terms.294 He is active on Twitter, where he engages his followers primarily in English and tweets about sports, the United States, and current events.295296

According to a poll conducted by Information and Public Opinion Solutions LLC (iPOS) in March 2016, Ahmadinejad was the least popular political figure in Iran. He had 57% approval and 39% disapproval ratings, thus a +18% net popularity.297

Polls conducted by Center for International and Security Studies at Maryland (CISSM) and IranPoll with ±3.2% margin of error shows his approval rating as follows:298

DateVery favorableSomewhat favorableSomewhat unfavorableVery unfavorableDon't recognize the nameDK/NA
July 201434%33%14.0%16.0%1.0%3.0%
August 201527.5% 33.5% 13.0% 22.8% 0.2%3.0%
January 201624.2% 32.8% 15.0% 23.9% 0.4%3.7%
June 201628.0% 37.3% 14.9% 16.1% 0.4%3.3%
December 201627.2% 33.6% 13.9% 19.5% 0.4%5.4%

Electoral history

Main article: Electoral history of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

YearElectionVotes%RankNotes
1999City Council of TehranLost
2000Parliament280,0469.5568thLost
2005President5,711,69619.432ndWent to run-off
President run off 17,284,782 61.691stWon
2009President 24,527,516 62.631stWon
2017PresidentDisqualified
2021PresidentDisqualified
2024PresidentDisqualified

Personal life

Ahmadinejad is married, and has one daughter and two sons.299 His elder son married a daughter of Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei in 2008.300301

Supporters of Ahmadinejad consider him a simple man who leads a modest life.302 As president, he wanted to continue living in the same house in Tehran his family had been living in until his security advisers insisted that he should move. Ahmadinejad had the antique Persian carpets in the Presidential palace sent to a carpet museum, and opted instead to use inexpensive carpets. He is said to have refused the VIP seat on the presidential plane, and that he eventually replaced it with a cargo plane instead.303304 Upon gaining Iran's presidency, Ahmadinejad held his first cabinet meeting in the Imam Reza shrine at Mashhad, an act perceived as "pious".305 He also used to lay an extra place for the 12th Imam at his weekly cabinet briefings.306

See also

  • Iran portal
  • Biography portal

Notes

Further reading

References

  1. /məˈmuːd, ˌɑːməˈdɪnɪʒɑːd/; Persian: محمود احمدی‌نژاد, romanized: Mahmud Ahmadinezhâd, pronounced [mæhˈmuːd(e) æhmæˌdiːneˈʒɒːd] ⓘ;[b][10][11] /wiki/Help:IPA/English

  2. Persian: محمود صباغیان, romanized: Mahmud Sabbâghiyân, pronounced [mæhˈmuːd(e) sæbɒːɢiːˈjɒːn] /wiki/Persian_language

  3. "An Enemy We Created". www.anenemywecreated.com. Archived from the original on 27 January 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110127185318/http://www.anenemywecreated.com/

  4. "Mahmoud Ahmedinejad on Facebook". Facebook. 24 July 2001. Archived from the original on 17 December 2012. Retrieved 27 July 2009. https://archive.today/20121217065904/http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mahmud-Ahmedinejad/8613283977?v=info&viewas=0

  5. "Biography of H.E. Dr. Ahmadi Nejad, Honourable President of Islamic Republic of Iran". www.president.ir. Archived from the original on 14 November 2024. Retrieved 17 May 2025. http://web.archive.org/web/20241114123031/https://president.ir/eng/ahmadinejad/bio/

  6. Avideh Mayville, "The Religious Ideology of Reform in Iran" in J. Harold Ellens (ed.), Winning Revolutions: The Psychosocial Dynamics of Revolts for Freedom, Fairness, and Rights [3 volumes], ABC-CLIO (2013), p. 311 /wiki/J._Harold_Ellens

  7. "Mahmoud Ahmadinejad". Iran Chamber Society. Retrieved 28 July 2009. http://www.iranchamber.com/history/mahmadinejad/mahmoud_ahmadinejad.php

  8. McCormick, John (3 February 2009). Comparative Politics in Transition. Cengage Learning. p. 520. ISBN 978-0-495-56852-0. 978-0-495-56852-0

  9. Axworthy, Michael (10 March 2016). Revolutionary Iran: A History of the Islamic Republic. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-046896-5. 978-0-19-046896-5

  10. Tait, Robert (19 June 2005). "Hardline mayor with a humble man-of-the-people image". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 17 May 2025. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/jun/20/iran.roberttait

  11. "Ahamd Bozorgian (MP): 'The Separation of men and women's elevators is an advantageous policy. It would help to grow.'". Archived from the original on 14 January 2006. Retrieved 20 June 2005. Entekhab News. Retrieved 31 August 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20060114020232/http://entekhab.ir/display/?ID=2648

  12. "Ahmadinejad Sworn in as Iran's New President". Voice Of America. 6 August 2005. Archived from the original on 29 January 2009. Retrieved 23 December 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20090129182648/http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2005-08/2005-08-06-voa8.cfm

  13. "Iran hardliner becomes president". BBC. 3 August 2005. Retrieved 6 December 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4740441.stm

  14. "Influential Iran cleric slams Ahmadinejad on economy". Reuters. Retrieved 13 August 2008. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-economy-cleric-idUSHAF34205520080813

  15. Memarian, Omid (17 September 2010). "Activists Warn of Rights Crisis Ahead of Ahmadinejad Visit | Inter Press Service". Ipsnews.net. Inter Press Service. Retrieved 4 March 2020. The event was organised by two New York-based rights groups, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran and Human Rights Watch, as well as the Nobel Women's Initiative. ... His group, "Amnesty International ... http://www.ipsnews.net/2010/09/activists-warn-of-rights-crisis-ahead-of-ahmadinejad-visit/

  16. Tait, Robert (25 May 2007). "Iran interest rate cut sparks panic selling". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 17 May 2025. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2007/may/25/iran.internationalnews

  17. "مدیریت و" برنامه‌ریزی منحل شد"". Archived from the original on 17 August 2007. Retrieved 17 May 2025. https://web.archive.org/web/20070817164633/http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/iran/story/2007/07/070710_ka-mpo.shtml

  18. "Assembly of Experts to study economic reform plan: Rafsanjani". Tehran Times (in Persian). 23 August 2008. Archived from the original on 12 September 2008. Retrieved 23 August 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080912183345/http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=175959

  19. "Iran clerics defy election ruling". BBC News. 5 July 2009. Retrieved 18 June 2011. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8134904.stm

  20. "Is this government legitimate?". BBC. 7 September 2009. Retrieved 18 June 2011. https://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/iran/2009/07/090704_op_brief_majma_qom.shtml

  21. Landry, Carole (25 June 2009). "G8 calls on Iran to halt election violence". AFP. Archived from the original on 3 March 2014. Retrieved 18 June 2011. The West has expressed alarm over Tehran's crackdown ... The Group of Eight leading powers on Friday deplored post-election violence in Iran ... Divergences appeared when Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned that isolating Iran was the "wrong approach" ... https://web.archive.org/web/20140303113954/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jSWPwBGmOByDmvG6OPfqesxJ2O7Q

  22. Erdbrink, Thomas (3 April 2013). "Power Struggle Is Gripping Iran Ahead of June Election". New York Times. Retrieved 4 April 2013. It is all part of a power struggle ahead of the June election between Mr. Ahmadinejad's faction and a coalition of traditionalists, including many Revolutionary Guards commanders and hard-line clerics. https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/04/world/middleeast/ahmadinejad-of-iran-reshapes-image-ahead-of-june-vote.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&

  23. Dehghan, Saeed Kamali (5 May 2011). "Ahmadinejad allies charged with sorcery". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 10 May 2011. Retrieved 18 June 2011. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/may/05/ahmadinejad-allies-charged-with-sorcery

  24. Dareini, Ali Akbar (20 April 2011). "Iranian lawmakers warn Ahmadinejad to accept intelligence chief as political feud deepens". StAlbertGazette.com. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 17 December 2013. Retrieved 11 January 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20131217073724/http://www.stalbertgazette.com/article/GB/20110420/CP01/304209937/-1/sag0806/iranian-lawmakers-warn-ahmadinejad-to-back-intelligence-chief-as%26template%3DcpArt

  25. "Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad summoned to parliament". The Guardian. 14 March 2012. Retrieved 18 December 2012. https://www.theguardian.com/world/iran-blog/2012/mar/14/iran-ahmadinejad-appears-parliament

  26. "Ahmadinejad critic Larijani re-elected Iran speaker". BBC News. 5 June 2012. Retrieved 17 May 2025. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18328882

  27. Erdbrink, Thomas (3 April 2013). "Power Struggle Is Gripping Iran Ahead of June Election". New York Times. Retrieved 4 April 2013. It is all part of a power struggle ahead of the June election between Mr. Ahmadinejad's faction and a coalition of traditionalists, including many Revolutionary Guards commanders and hard-line clerics. https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/04/world/middleeast/ahmadinejad-of-iran-reshapes-image-ahead-of-june-vote.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&

  28. "Hard-Line Ex-Leader Ahmadinejad Stuns Iran With Election Bid". The New York Times. 12 April 2017. https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2017/04/12/world/middleeast/ap-ml-iran-elections.html?_r=0

  29. "Ahmadinejad 'disqualified' from running in Iran poll". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 17 May 2025. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/4/20/mahmoud-ahmadinejad-disqualified-from-iran-elections

  30. "Iran's Ahmadinejad disqualified from running for president". euronews. 20 April 2017. Retrieved 17 May 2025. https://www.euronews.com/2017/04/20/iranian-president-hassan-rouhani-and-hardline-rival-ebrahim-raisi-cleared-to

  31. Motamedi, Maziar. "Iran approves 7 for presidential vote; bars reformists". Aljazeera.com. Retrieved 26 July 2021. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/5/25/irans-guardian-council-disqualifies-most-presidential-candidates

  32. "Iran's hard-line former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad registers for June 28 presidential election". AP News. 2 June 2024. https://apnews.com/article/iran-election-president-ahmadinejad-helicopter-crash-3820e4b824a09c2922feccbb0b064d66

  33. "Iran announces six candidates approved for June 28 presidential election". France 24. 9 June 2024. Retrieved 10 June 2024. https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20240609-iran-announces-six-candidates-approved-for-june-28-presidential-election

  34. Melman, Yossi; Javedanfar, Meir (2007). The Nuclear Sphinx of Tehran: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the State of Iran. Basic Books. pp. 1–3. ISBN 9780786718870. 9780786718870

  35. Melman, Yossi; Javedanfar, Meir (2007). The Nuclear Sphinx of Tehran: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the State of Iran. Basic Books. pp. 1–3. ISBN 9780786718870. 9780786718870

  36. Tait, Robert (1 July 2005). "A humble beginning helped to form Iran's new hard man". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 17 May 2025. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/jul/02/iran.roberttait

  37. Kasra Naji says that the name was 'Sabaghian,' which means 'dye-masters' in Persian.[44] /wiki/Persian_language

  38. داستان داوود و محمود: داوود احمدی‌نژاد چرا عليه محمود احمدی‌نژاد سخنرانی می‌كند؟ [The Story of Davoud and Mahmoud: Why Davoud Ahmadinejad Speaks Against Mahmoud Ahmadinejad?]. Aseman Weekly (in Persian) (7). 19 November 2011. Archived from the original on 20 August 2013. Retrieved 11 July 2016. داستان داوود و محمود: داوود احمدی‌نژاد چرا عليه محمود احمدی‌نژاد سخنرانی می‌كند؟

  39. داستان داوود و محمود: داوود احمدی‌نژاد چرا عليه محمود احمدی‌نژاد سخنرانی می‌كند؟ [The Story of Davoud and Mahmoud: Why Davoud Ahmadinejad Speaks Against Mahmoud Ahmadinejad?]. Aseman Weekly (in Persian) (7). 19 November 2011. Archived from the original on 20 August 2013. Retrieved 11 July 2016. داستان داوود و محمود: داوود احمدی‌نژاد چرا عليه محمود احمدی‌نژاد سخنرانی می‌كند؟

  40. In 2009, some media reports claimed that Sabourjian is a common Iranian Jewish name, and that Sabor is the name for the Jewish tallit (prayer shawl) in Persia.[45] Meir Javedanfar, a blogger at The Guardian, disputed this claim, citing experts.[46] /wiki/Tallit

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