Hassan Rouhani

Hassan Rouhani
Rouhani in 2017
Hassan Rouhani
Born	Hassan Fereydoun 12 11, 1948
Birthplace	Sorkheh, Semnan Province, Imperial State of Iran
Nationality	Iranian
Occupation	Politician, cleric, diplomat, academic, lawyer
Known for	7th President of Iran (2013–2021), Iran nuclear negotiations
Education	Glasgow Caledonian University (PhD)
Children	5
Awards	Order of Nasr (1st Class) Order of Fath (2nd Class)
Website	[rouhanihassan.com Official site]

Hassan Rouhani (Template:Lang-fa; born Hassan Fereydoun, 12 November 1948) is an Iranian politician, Shia cleric, diplomat, academic, and sharia lawyer who served as the seventh President of Iran from 3 August 2013 to 3 August 2021. Born in the small city of Sorkheh in Semnan Province, Rouhani rose through the ranks of Iran's political and clerical establishments over more than four decades, holding positions that placed him at the center of the country's security, legislative, and diplomatic apparatus. He served as Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council from 1989 to 2005, during which time he led Iran's nuclear negotiations with the EU three (the United Kingdom, France, and Germany). A member of the Iranian Parliament (Majlis) for five consecutive terms and First Deputy Speaker for two of those terms, Rouhani also sat on the Expediency Discernment Council from 1991 to 2013 and the Assembly of Experts from 1999 to 2024. Elected president in June 2013 on a platform of economic restoration, improved relations with Western nations, and a proposed civil rights charter, he won re-election in 2017 with 57.1 percent of the vote. His presidency was marked by the conclusion of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, and by subsequent tensions following the United States' withdrawal from that agreement in 2018. Frequently described as a centrist and reformist within the Iranian political spectrum, Rouhani encouraged personal freedoms, greater access to information, and improved diplomatic engagement with the international community.

Early Life

Hassan Rouhani was born Hassan Fereydoun on 12 November 1948 in Sorkheh, a small city in Semnan Province in what was then the Imperial State of Iran. His father, Haj Asadollah Fereydoun, was from Sorkheh and the family had roots in the region. Rouhani later adopted the surname "Rouhani," meaning "cleric" or "spiritual" in Persian, reflecting his entry into the Shia Muslim clerical establishment.

From an early age, Rouhani pursued religious studies. He began his seminary education at the Qom Seminary, one of the foremost centers of Shia Islamic learning in Iran. During his years at Qom, he studied under prominent clerics and eventually attained the rank of mujtahid — a senior cleric qualified to exercise independent legal reasoning in matters of Islamic law. His clerical training provided the foundation for his later career as both a religious authority and a political figure.

In 1971–1972, Rouhani fulfilled his mandatory military conscription by serving in the Sepah-e Danesh (Literacy Corps) in Nishapur. The Sepah-e Danesh was a program established under the Pahlavi regime that sent educated conscripts to rural areas to teach literacy. This period exposed Rouhani to conditions in provincial Iran and provided him with early experience in public service.

Prior to the Iranian Revolution of 1979, Rouhani was involved in opposition to the Pahlavi monarchy. Following the revolution and the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran, he became an active participant in the new political system, joining the Islamic Republican Party, the dominant political organization of the revolutionary period, which he remained a member of until its dissolution in 1987.

Education

Rouhani's formal education spanned both religious and secular institutions across Iran and abroad. He received his initial higher religious education at the Qom Seminary, where he trained in Islamic jurisprudence and theology over several years. He also studied at the University of Tehran, where he pursued studies in law.

Rouhani subsequently enrolled at Glasgow Caledonian University in Scotland (then known as Glasgow Polytechnic/Glasgow Caledonian), where he earned a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) degree and later a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in law. He was registered under his birth name, Hassan Feridon. Glasgow Caledonian University confirmed Rouhani's attendance and degrees following his election to the presidency in 2013. His doctoral studies focused on constitutional law within an Islamic framework, reflecting his dual grounding in religious scholarship and modern legal theory.

Career

Parliamentary Career (1980–2000)

Rouhani entered elected politics shortly after the 1979 revolution. He was elected to the first Islamic Consultative Assembly (Majlis) in 1980, representing the constituency of Semnan. In that first term, he won with 19,017 votes, capturing 62.1 percent of the vote in his constituency. He was subsequently re-elected and served in the Majlis continuously for five terms, from 1980 to 2000. During his later terms, he represented the constituency of Tehran, Rey, Shemiranat and Eslamshahr, winning his second term with 729,965 votes (58.3 percent).

During the fourth and fifth terms of the Majlis (1992–2000), Rouhani served as First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, succeeding Hossein Hashemian and serving until he was succeeded by Behzad Nabavi in 2000. In this role, he was one of the most senior legislative figures in the country and gained extensive experience in parliamentary procedure, coalition building, and legislative policy.

Iran–Iraq War Military Service (1985–1991)

During the Iran–Iraq War (1980–1988), Rouhani assumed significant military responsibilities. From 1985 to 1991, he served as Commander-in-Chief of Iran's Air Defense. He also served as Deputy to the Second-in-Command of Iran's Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1988 to 1989. These roles placed him in a position of direct operational authority during one of the most consequential conflicts in modern Middle Eastern history. For his wartime service, Rouhani was awarded the Order of Nasr (1st Class) and the Order of Fath (2nd Class), two of Iran's military honors.

Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (1989–2005)

Following the end of the Iran–Iraq War and the death of Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989, Iran's political landscape underwent significant restructuring. Rouhani was appointed Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) in October 1989, a position he held for sixteen years under Presidents Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Mohammad Khatami. The SNSC is the principal body responsible for coordinating Iran's defense, intelligence, and foreign policy strategies, and the secretary's role carries considerable influence over national security decision-making.

During his tenure as SNSC secretary, Rouhani also served concurrently as National Security Advisor to the President, first under Rafsanjani (1989–1997) and then under Khatami (2000–2005). He additionally served as President of the Center for Strategic Research and Advisor to the President from 1992 to 1997 under Rafsanjani.

Nuclear Negotiations (2003–2005)

Rouhani's role as Iran's chief nuclear negotiator from October 2003 to August 2005 brought him to international prominence. Appointed by President Khatami, he led Iran's negotiations with the EU three — the United Kingdom, France, and Germany — regarding Iran's nuclear program. His deputy in these negotiations was Hossein Mousavian.

During this period, Rouhani oversaw Iran's agreement to temporarily suspend uranium enrichment as a confidence-building measure and to allow expanded inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency. In a 2012 interview with PBS Frontline's Tehran Bureau, Rouhani discussed aspects of the negotiations, including an assertion that the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush had rebuffed Iran's bid for broader negotiations.

Rouhani was succeeded as SNSC secretary and chief nuclear negotiator by Ali Larijani in August 2005, following the election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as president. The change in leadership signaled a shift in Iran's approach to the nuclear issue, with Ahmadinejad's government adopting a more confrontational stance toward the West.

Assembly of Experts and Expediency Council

Rouhani served as a member of the Expediency Discernment Council from May 1991 to August 2013, having been appointed by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The Expediency Council serves as an advisory body to the Supreme Leader and resolves disputes between the Majlis and the Guardian Council.

He was also elected to the Assembly of Experts, the body responsible for selecting, monitoring, and, if necessary, removing the Supreme Leader. He first represented Semnan Province in the Assembly from February 2000 to February 2007, and subsequently represented Tehran Province from February 2007 until May 2024. In the Tehran Province election, he received 2,238,166 votes (53.56 percent).

Presidential Campaign and Election (2013)

On 7 May 2013, Rouhani registered as a candidate for the Iranian presidential election scheduled for 14 June 2013. He ran on a platform centered on three principal themes: restoring Iran's economy, improving relations with Western nations, and preparing a "civil rights charter." He also expressed support for upholding the rights of ethnic and religious minorities in Iran.

Rouhani drew support from reformist and moderate factions of Iranian politics. His candidacy gained momentum as he positioned himself as an alternative to the more conservative candidates in the race. On 15 June 2013, he was declared the winner of the election, defeating Tehran mayor Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and four other candidates in the first round of voting. The scale of his victory eliminated the need for a runoff election.

He took office as the seventh President of Iran on 3 August 2013, succeeding Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Eshaq Jahangiri was appointed as his First Vice President.

First Presidential Term (2013–2017)

Rouhani's first term was defined in large part by diplomatic engagement with the international community, particularly regarding Iran's nuclear program. His administration pursued negotiations that culminated in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in July 2015, an agreement between Iran and the P5+1 (the United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia, China, and Germany) that placed limits on Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of international economic sanctions.

In domestic policy, Rouhani promoted measures aimed at expanding personal freedoms and access to information. He appointed female spokespeople for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, a move seen as an improvement in women's representation in government communications. His administration sought to present a more moderate face for Iran on the international stage, including an exchange of conciliatory letters with other world leaders.

Rouhani also served concurrently as Secretary General of the Non-Aligned Movement from August 2013 to September 2016, a position held ex officio by the Iranian president as the host of the movement's most recent summit at that time. He was succeeded in this role by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Re-election and Second Term (2017–2021)

Rouhani stood for re-election in the 2017 Iranian presidential election and won with 23,636,652 votes, representing 57.1 percent of the total. This made him the third Iranian president — after Mohammad Khatami and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad — to win re-election as an incumbent with an increased electoral mandate compared to his first victory.

His second term, however, was marked by significant challenges. The United States, under President Donald Trump, withdrew from the JCPOA in May 2018 and reimposed economic sanctions on Iran, severely undermining the economic benefits that the nuclear deal was intended to deliver. The reimposition of sanctions contributed to a sharp depreciation of Iran's currency, rising inflation, and economic hardship for ordinary Iranians. These conditions fueled periodic public protests.

Rouhani's relationship with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who had initially supported his presidency, deteriorated during the second term. Khamenei reportedly criticized Rouhani for being too accommodating in negotiations with Western powers over the nuclear agreement. This growing rift reflected broader tensions within the Iranian political system between those favoring engagement with the West and those advocating a more resistant posture.

Post-Presidency

Rouhani's presidency ended on 3 August 2021, and he was succeeded by Ebrahim Raisi. Following the conclusion of his second term, Rouhani was not appointed to any senior role by Supreme Leader Khamenei, in contrast to the pattern of former presidents being given positions on advisory councils or other bodies of state. His membership in the Assembly of Experts continued until May 2024. He maintained his affiliation with the Moderation and Development Party, which he had been associated with since 1999.

Personal Life

Hassan Rouhani has five children. He holds the clerical rank of Hujjat al-Islam, a mid-ranking title within the Shia clerical hierarchy, one level below the rank of Ayatollah. He is also recognized as a mujtahid, indicating his qualification to exercise independent jurisprudential reasoning (ijtihad) in matters of Islamic law.

Rouhani was previously affiliated with the Combatant Clergy Association, a political grouping of conservative and traditional clerics, from 1988 onward, though he became inactive in the organization after 2009. His political trajectory moved him from this conservative clerical association toward the more centrist Moderation and Development Party, reflecting his evolving political orientation.

His father, Haj Asadollah Fereydoun, was from the city of Sorkheh in Semnan Province. Rouhani maintained connections to his home province throughout his political career, initially representing Semnan in both the Majlis and the Assembly of Experts before shifting his political base to Tehran.

Recognition

In 2013, Time magazine included Hassan Rouhani in its annual list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World, recognizing the significance of his election as President of Iran and its implications for international diplomacy.

Rouhani received military honors for his service during the Iran–Iraq War, including the Order of Nasr (1st Class) and the Order of Fath (2nd Class), in recognition of his roles as Commander-in-Chief of Air Defense and Deputy to the Second-in-Command of Iran's Joint Chiefs of Staff.

His alma mater, Glasgow Caledonian University, publicly acknowledged his status as an alumnus following his election to the presidency in 2013. The university confirmed that he had earned both an MPhil and a PhD at the institution, degrees he had pursued under his birth name of Hassan Feridon.

Rouhani's international profile was shaped significantly by his role in nuclear negotiations both as SNSC secretary (2003–2005) and as president (2013–2021). The conclusion of the JCPOA in 2015 was regarded as a landmark diplomatic achievement at the time, drawing international attention to Rouhani's role as a key architect of the agreement on the Iranian side.

Legacy

Hassan Rouhani's political career spanned over four decades, encompassing roles in Iran's legislature, military command, national security apparatus, clerical institutions, and the presidency. His tenure as president from 2013 to 2021 was bookended by significant diplomatic developments: the negotiation and signing of the JCPOA in his first term, and the unraveling of that agreement following the U.S. withdrawal in his second.

As SNSC secretary from 1989 to 2005, Rouhani served at the nexus of Iran's security and foreign policy establishment for sixteen years, spanning two presidencies and multiple international crises. His subsequent role as chief nuclear negotiator from 2003 to 2005 established his reputation as a pragmatic interlocutor with the West, a reputation he carried into the 2013 presidential campaign.

Rouhani's domestic legacy is more contested. Supporters point to his advocacy for personal freedoms, greater access to information, women's representation, and the rights of ethnic and religious minorities as evidence of a moderating influence within the Iranian political system. Critics, both within and outside Iran, have pointed to the limitations of reform within the structural constraints of the Islamic Republic's system of governance, in which the Supreme Leader retains overarching authority.

The deterioration of Rouhani's relationship with Supreme Leader Khamenei during his second term, and the absence of any senior post-presidential appointment, suggested a diminution of his political standing within the ruling establishment. His successor, Ebrahim Raisi, represented a markedly different political orientation, signaling a shift away from the centrist and reformist tendencies that Rouhani's presidency embodied.

Rouhani's career remains a significant case study in the internal dynamics of the Islamic Republic of Iran — the interaction between elected governance and supreme clerical authority, the possibilities and limits of reform within a theocratic framework, and the impact of international pressures on domestic Iranian politics.