Six Rivals in Iran's Presidential Election 2024 at a Glance
Six candidates were approved by the Constitutional Council, on Saturday to run in Iran’s upcoming presidential election on June 28.
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During the West-backed Iraqi war against Iran in the 1980s, he served on the battlefields, where he was severely wounded in 1986, resulting in the loss of part of his right leg.
Jalili was a former lead nuclear negotiator and head of the Supreme National Security Council(SNSC), the top security body of the country.
He served as the secretary of SNSC from 2007 to 2013. After joining the race, he told the media that the country faces a “historic opportunity” that must not be ignored, emphasizing that the next president must understand the nation’s rich capital.
The presidential election is scheduled for June 28, following a two-week campaign period and televised debates that will be hosted by the state broadcaster IRIB.
A veteran politician and administrator, Jalili has held many important roles throughout his public life. Jalili formally began his diplomatic and political career in 1989 by joining the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Between 1991 and 1996, he headed the ministry's Inspection Office, and in 1998 he was appointed deputy director of the Department for North and Central America.
In 2001, he was appointed director of policy planning in the Office of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution.
He also attended Imam Sadiq University in Tehran, where he completed his doctoral thesis, "The Paradigm of Political Thought of Islam in the Holy Qur’an," which later became the book "The Foreign Policy of the Prophet of Islam."
For several years, Jalili taught political science at Imam Sadiq University.
In 1992, he married Fatemeh Sajjadi, with whom he has a son, Sajjad. From 2007 to 2013, Jalili served as the secretary of the country’s top security body and also as the lead negotiator with Western states on Iran's nuclear program.
He is remembered as a firm and meticulous negotiator who did not make concessions.
Jalili was a fierce critic of the 2015 nuclear deal with six world powers, believing that Iran should not make concessions and that economic development should not depend on foreign will.
After leaving office in 2013, he was appointed to the Expediency Council by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Khamenei.
In the 2013 presidential election, he ran with the slogan "A Virtuous Life," finishing third with over four million votes.
He ran again for the presidency in 2021 but withdrew in favor of Ebrahim Raisi, who eventually won by a landslide.
Upon filing his nomination on May 30, Jalili praised President Raisi and outlined his political views.
He emphasized the importance of recognizing the election’s significance and appreciating the nation's potential.
Jalili cited US officials' admission that Washington's policy of "maximum pressure" had failed, arguing that Iran faces a historic opportunity.
Jalili stressed the need for "pin-point decisions" focused on priorities and justice, ensuring every Iranian's right to participate in the country's progress. He highlighted the necessity of maximum public participation to achieve growth and success. Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf
A Prominent Political Figure Seeks Iran's Presidency
Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, a former Iranian parliament speaker and one of the country's leading political figures, has filed his candidacy for the highest executive office of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Qalibaf, re-elected as parliament speaker a few weeks ago, submitted his nomination on June 3, the 35th anniversary of the passing of the Islamic Revolution's founder-leader, Imam Khomeini, which was the last day for registration.
Addressing the media after registering his candidature, Qalibaf expressed his intention to continue the unfinished work of the previous government led by Ebrahim Raisi.
He pledged to "strive to solve problems" facing the people and expressed confidence that issues related to people's livelihoods are solvable.
A Journey from Student to Prominent Political Figure
Qalibaf's journey from being a student in northwestern Razavi Khorasan province to becoming one of the most prominent and respected political figures in the country has been remarkable.
Born in 1961 in Torqabeh near Mashhad into a modest merchant family, he worked during his youth while pursuing his primary and secondary education.
As a teenager, at the dawn of the Islamic Revolution, Qalibaf attended lectures at the Karamat, Imam Hassan Mojtaba, and Musa al-Reza mosques in Mashhad, which played a significant role in shaping his political and intellectual orientation.
Together with his school classmates, he founded the Islamic Students' Association, which eventually became a national organization.
Military and Political Career
Following the outbreak of the imposed war on Iran in the early 1980s, 18-year-old Qalibaf joined the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) and became active in the field.
He was appointed commander of the Imam Reza Brigade in 1982 and the 5th Nasr Khorasan Division a year later.
During the war, he met General Qassem Soleimani, and the two shared a close bond defined by their commitment to the revolution.
After the war, Qalibaf commanded the IRGC's 25th Karbala Division, which distinguished itself under his leadership in 1990 by repairing transport routes damaged by the Manjil–Rudbar earthquake.
He resumed his higher education in 1990 at Islamic Azad University, earning a bachelor's degree in political geography in 1994.
In 1994, Qalibaf was appointed head of the Khatam-al Anbiya Construction Headquarters, overseeing the construction of major infrastructure projects. He continued his studies, obtaining a master's degree in 1996 and defending his PhD thesis titled "Review of the Evolution of Local Institutions in Iran in the Contemporary Period" at Tarbiat Modares University in 2001.
Political Aspirations
Qalibaf ran for the presidency in 2021 but withdrew in favor of Ebrahim Raisi, who eventually won by a landslide.
Upon filing his nomination for the upcoming election on May 30, Qalibaf praised President Raisi and outlined his political views, emphasizing the importance of recognizing the election's significance and appreciating the nation's potential.
The candidates approved by the Constitutional Council will have two weeks for campaigning and presidential debates before the voting takes place on June 28. Qalibaf's candidacy is a testament to his political ambitions and his desire to contribute to the country's progress. Mostafa Pourmohammadi
Mostafa Pourmohammadi was born in December 1959 in the central Iranian city of Qom, he studied Islamic jurisprudence (Fiqh), principles of jurisprudence, and philosophy at the Qom seminary.
He later completed a level four degree in jurisprudence and Islamic law, equivalent to a PhD.
He is a senior Iranian politician who has previously held significant roles in the judiciary and top cabinet positions.
Pourmohammadi served as the Minister of Interior Affairs (2005-2008) and as the Justice Minister (2013-2017) in two different administrations.
Pourmohammadi, a 64-year-old is the only cleric running for the country’s presidency. From 1979 to 1986, he served as the prosecutor of the revolutionary courts in the provinces of Khuzestan, Hormozgan, and Khorasan.
From 1986 to 1987, he was the prosecutor of the armed forces revolutionary courts in western Iran. In 1987, he served at the Ministry of Intelligence, holding various positions, including advisor, head of the foreign service, and deputy minister.
His term as the deputy intelligence minister ended in 1999. Since 1996, Pourmohammadi has also been a member and head of the board of trustees of the Center for Islamic Revolution Documents.
The veteran political figure was appointed by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, as the head of the political and social department of his office in 2003.
In 2005, he was appointed as the country’s interior minister, leaving office in 2008 following a cabinet reshuffle. He then became the head of the National Inspection Organization (GIO), a position he held until 2013.GIO, linked to the judiciary, is tasked with “supervision of the proper conducting of affairs and the correct implementation of laws by the administrative organs of the government” according to Iran’s constitution.
In 2013, he became the justice minister and held that portfolio for four years. Currently, he serves as advisor to the head of the judiciary and is also the secretary general of the Association of Combatant Clerics, a political party founded in 1988. Alireza Zakani
Zakani is the Mayor of Tehran and a former senior lawmaker.
After the victory of the Islamic Revolution and during the imposed war, Zakani participated in the war between Iran and Iraq. He served in the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Ground Forces.
During the war, he held various responsibilities such as battalion deputy commander, head of intelligence and operations of Najaf Ashraf 3 camp, deputy head of intelligence and operations of the 27th Mohammad Rasulullah Division, and head of this division. He is married and has three children.
He started higher education at Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS).
Zakani is a member of the academic staff at Tehran University of Medical Sciences and has worked at the Nuclear Medicine Center of Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex and the Research Center for Nuclear Medicine at Shariati Hospital.
He is also a member of the board of directors of the Scientific Association of Nuclear Medicine of Iran. Zakani began his senior political career in 2004, serving as a member of parliament for Tehran until 2016, and again from 2020 to 2021.
Since 2021, he has served as the Mayor of Tehran. Masoud Pezeshkian
Pezeshkian is an Iranian reformist politician and Parliament member, who also served as its First Deputy Speaker from May 29, 2016, to May 26, 2020. He has also previously served as the deputy parliament speaker.
He was also the Health Minister in Khatami's administration.
The Constitutional Council, Iran’s 12-member election supervisory body, approved six candidates on Saturday to run in the upcoming presidential vote after a meticulous vetting process.
Iran is set to hold a snap presidential election on June 28, one year earlier than expected, following the martyrdom of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash in northwestern Iran on May 19.
The candidates approved by the country’s top vetting body will have two weeks for campaigning and presidential debates before the voting takes place later this month.
Born on September 29, 1954, in the city of Mahabad, West Azarbaijan province, Pezeshkian currently represents the northwestern city of Tabriz in the 12th Iranian Parliament. His political journey has been remarkable, rising through the ranks to hold the important cabinet portfolio of Health Minister under President Mohammad Khatami (2001-2005). Seyed Amirhossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi
Seyed Amirhossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi, an Iranian conservative politician, surgeon, and lawmaker, was born in 1971 in Fariman city of Mashhad, northeastern Iran, and graduated with a specialized doctorate in medicine (as head and neck surgeon).
Ghazizadeh has been the representative of the people of Mashhad for four terms (8th, 9th, 10th, 11th), from 2008 to 2021, acting as a member of the parliament's presiding board in the last two terms.
He also was appointed as the Parliament's Vice Speaker to Mohammad-Bagher Qalibaf.
The current presidential candidate was a presidential candidate in the 2021 Iranian Presidential election, and after winning 999,718 votes, he became the fourth person in the 13th presidential election.
He is an associate professor at Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences.
Ghazizadeh is a veteran of the 8-year war of the Iraqi Baathist Regime against Iran.
Now, the Iranian politician is a member of the Central Council of the Islamic Law Party
The Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs is the current organization he is in charge of its affairs.
