This is a list of the presidents of the Islamic Republic of Iran since the office established in 1980. The president of Iran is the head of government, the second-highest ranking official of Iran, and the highest popularly elected official in the country. The current president, Masoud Pezeshkian has been in office since 28 July 2024 after winning the 2024 presidential election.
Background After the Iranian Revolution of 1979 and referendum to create the Islamic Republic on March 29 and 30, the new government needed to craft a new constitution. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini ordered an election for the Assembly of Experts, the body tasked with writing the constitution. The assembly presented the constitution on October 24, 1979, and Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini and Prime Minister Mehdi Bazargan approved it. This was also approved in constitutional referendum on December 2 and 3.
The 1979 Constitution designated the supreme leader as the head of state and the president and prime minister as the heads of government. The post of prime minister was abolished after the 1989 constitutional referendum.
The first Iranian presidential election was held on January 25, 1980 and resulted in the election of Abolhassan Banisadr with 76% of the votes. Banisadr was impeached on June 22, 1981 by Parliament. Until the early election on July 24, 1981, the duties of the president were undertaken by the Provisional Presidential Council. Mohammad-Ali Rajai was elected president on July 24, 1981 and took office on August 2. Rajai remained in office for less than one month, with both he and his prime minister being assassinated on August 30, 1981. Once again, a Provisional Presidential Council filled the office until October 13, 1981 when Ali Khamenei was elected president.
Ali Khamenei, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Mohammad Khatami, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Hassan Rouhani were each elected president for two terms. Ebrahim Raisi was the eighth president, serving from his election in 2021 until his death on May 19, 2024 leaving the office occupied in an acting capacity by First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber. Masoud Pezeshkian was elected as the current president on July 6, 2024.
List of officeholders Islamic Republic of Iran (from 1979) Portrait Name Term of office Political party Election Cabinet Prime minister Previous office Took office Left officeTenure 1 Abolhassan Banisadr 4 February 1980 22 June 1981 Independent(OCPP) 1980 Rajai Mohammad-Ali Rajai Minister of Finance 2 Mohammad-Ali Rajai 2 August 1981 30 August 1981 Islamic Association of Teachers 1981 Bahonar Mohammad-Javad Bahonar Prime Minister of Iran 3 Ali Khamenei 9 October 1981 16 August 1989 Islamic Republican PartyCombatant Clergy Association 1981 Mousavi I Mir-Hossein Mousavi Member of the Parliament of Iran 1985 Mousavi II Portrait Name Term of office Political party Election Cabinet First vice president(s) Previous office Took office Left officeTenure 4 Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani 16 August 1989 3 August 1997 Combatant Clergy AssociationExecutives of Construction Party 1989 Rafsanjani I Hassan Habibi Speaker of the Parliament of Iran 1993 Rafsanjani II 5 Mohammad Khatami 3 August 1997 3 August 2005 years Association of Combatant Clerics 1997 Khatami I Hassan HabibiMohammad Reza Aref Minister of Culture 2001 Khatami II 6 Mahmoud Ahmadinejad 3 August 2005 3 August 2013 years Society of Devotees of the Islamic Revolution(Alliance of Builders) 2005 Ahmadinejad I Parviz DavoodiEsfandiar Rahim MashaeiMohammad-Reza Rahimi Mayor of Tehran 2009 Ahmadinejad II 7 Hassan Rouhani 3 August 2013 3 August 2021 years Moderation and Development Party 2013 Rouhani I Eshaq Jahangiri Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council 2017 Rouhani II 8 Ebrahim Raisi 3 August 2021 19 May 2024 Combatant Clergy Association 2021 Raisi Mohammad Mokhber Chief Justice — Mohammad Mokhber 19 May 2024 28 July 2024 Independent — Raisi Himself Vice President 9 Masoud Pezeshkian 28 July 2024 Incumbent Independent 2024 Pezeshkian Mohammad Reza Aref Minister of Health and Medical Education
Timeline
Presidential age-related data
President Born Age at Age at Time in office timespan Lifespan Died Age 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 — 9 (Incumbent) (Incumbent)
Notes
See also Supreme Leader of Iran President of Iran List of vice presidents of Iran List of heads of state of Iran Prime Minister of Iran List of prime ministers of Iran List of speakers of the Parliament of Iran
Notes
References