Who's Who in Iran

Right now, the people of Iran continue to protest the election results of their 2009 election, in a show of solidarity and numbers that hasn't been seen in decades. There are a lot of factors and people involved in the day-to-day of the protests, so here are some names and terms that you may come across.

1979 Iranian Revolution

Iranian people’s backlash against the Iranian Shah, or leader. People protested against his policies that limited human rights. The current protests in Iran are being compared to the 1979 Revolution.

Theocracy

A theocracy is a country that is led by a religious leader, who is said to be “divinely blessed” to rule. Iran is a theocracy, so it has a Supreme Leader who ranks above the president in important decisions.

Supreme Leader

The Supreme Leader of Iran is Ayatolla Khomeini who declared himself the Supreme Leader after helping to overthrow the Shah in the 1979 revolution. Khomeini has strict control over Iran’s news and media, promotes censoring independent newspapers in order to promote his policies. He is a conservative Muslim and many believe his policies promote nuclear warfare and take rights away from women.

President

The current President of Iran is Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Ahmadinejad answers directly to Ayatollah Khamenei and they share many of the same conservative fundamentalist policies. The president will oversee most of the day-to-day functions of governing and the Supreme Leader will get involved on bigger matters of state.

After the Iranian election on June 12, 2009, Ahmadinejad was declared the winner but the votes were counted too quickly for the ballots to have been counted realistically, which prompted people to take to the streets in protest.

Mir Hossein Mousavi

He is the main opposition candidate for the presidency and many say that he was the true winner of the June 12th election. Mousavi received many votes from young Iranians and country people, and he was open to loosening the country's Islamic restrictions and improving ties with the United States.

Revolutionary Guard

An elite, military force commanded by Ayatollah Khamenei; the Revolutionary Guard has served as the main repression against protestors post-election.

The Guardian Council

A council of religious clerics commanded by Ayatollah Khamenei. The council approves candidates for presidency, controls elections and has the power to block laws passed by parliament. Since the council maintains Khamenei’s conservative beliefs, all candidates have been relatively conservative, which makes change hard to enact in the country.

Basij militia

A sub group of the Iranian military forces that have played a part in repressing the demonstrators. Outside of military duties, they help the police force to monitor the activities of citizens.