Obstacles to Democracy

What do we know about Iran’s Guardian Council and its role in legislation and elections?

March 16, 2020

Mehdi Shabzendedar Jahromi: Jurist

Like his father before him, Mehdi Shabzedehdar dedicated his life to becoming an Islamic jurist. Both sides of Shabzendehdar’s family are made up of clerics and revolutionary activists with close ties to the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
March 12, 2020

Ahmad Jannati, Jurist and Secretary

Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati may be the only official in the Islamic Republic who has remained in the same position since the beginning of the revolution. He has been a permanent member of the Guardian Council, the Assembly of Experts, the Expediency Council, the Supreme Council for the Cultural Revolution, and the permanent chair of the Coordination Council for Islamic Propaganda.