IRAN’S POWER STRUCTURE
Armed forces — Iran’s regular armed forces (the military) were allocated responsibility for external security after the revolution. Although there is a joint general command with the Revolutionary Guards, and the Supreme Leader is the Commander-in-chief of both, the latter operates independently.
Assembly of Experts — Popularly-elected body of 86 clerics which appoints and monitors the performance of the Supreme Leader. Candidates are vetted and approved by the Council of Guardians.
Basij — Resistance Mobilization Force, a volunteer paramilitary force under the control of the Revolutionary Guards. Its members are found in schools, universities, state and private institutions, factories and tribes. Council of Ministers — Members of the Council of Ministers (the Cabinet) are chosen by the President and approved by Parliament. Council of Guardians — A body that comprises 12 jurists — six appointed by the Supreme Leader, six by Parliament (from candidates selected by the Head of the Judiciary) — which supervises elections and must approve candidates. It vets and approves legislation for conformity to the Constitution and Islamic law.
Expediency Council — An advisory body for the Supreme Leader with powers to resolve disputes over legislation between Parliament and the Council of Guardians. The Supreme Leader appoints its members, and in October 2005 gave the Expediency Council “supervisory” powers over all branches of government.
Head of the Judiciary — The Head of the Judiciary, currently Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani, is appointed by and answerable to the Supreme Leader. He appoints and supervises judges. Judiciary — The Judiciary is responsible for drafting judicial legislation, investigating and passing judgement on grievances; supervising the proper enforcement of laws; uncovering crimes; prosecuting, punishing, and chastising criminals and taking “suitable measures” to prevent crime and reform criminals. It runs the prison and coroners’ services.
Parliament (Majles-e Shoura-ye Eslami, or Islamic Consultative Assembly) — The 290 members of Parliament are elected by direct public vote every four years. Parliament can pass laws but all bills must be vetted and approved by the Council of Guardians.
President — The President is elected for four years and may not serve more than two terms consecutively. Under the Constitution he is the second-highest ranking official. The President is head of the executive branch of power and responsible for ensuring the Constitution is implemented. In practice, his powers are circumscribed by the authority of the Supreme
Leader. Revolutionary Guards — Also known as the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), this body was formed after the 1979 revolution as a parallel armed force to ensure domestic security. The Revolutionary Guards control the volunteer Basij militia. There are now around 125,000 Revolutionary Guards, with air, naval and ground forces. All commanders are appointed by Iran’s Supreme Leader and answerable only to him. The Guards also have substantial economic interests in Iran, owning many companies and some public services like hospitals.
Supreme Leader — The Supreme Leader is chosen by the clerics who make up the Assembly of Experts. The Supreme Leader, currently Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, appoints the Head of the Judiciary, six members of the Council of Guardians, the commanders of the armed forces, Friday prayer leaders and the Head of state radio and television. He also confirms the President’s election. The Supreme Leader, not the President, makes key decisions on security, defence and major foreign policy issues.
