Mohammad Khatami

Mohammad Khatami is an Iranian reformist politician who served as president of Iran from 1997 to 2005. His presidency emphasized civil society, political reform, and dialogue among civilizations.

Iranian reform movement: A political movement seeking greater civil liberties, rule of law, and elected authority within the Islamic Republic of Iran. Khatami’s electoral victories made this movement a major force in Iranian politics.
President of Iran: The elected head of government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, operating within constitutional limits. Khatami held the office but lacked control over several powerful unelected institutions.
Ali Khamenei: Iran’s Supreme Leader since 1989, with ultimate authority over major state institutions and policy. His constitutional authority stood above Khatami’s elected executive office.
Dialogue Among Civilizations: A framework for international understanding that emphasizes exchange and cooperation among distinct cultural traditions. Khatami promoted this idea internationally, and the United Nations designated 2001 its year.
Yazd: A historic city in central Iran and the capital of Yazd Province. Khatami was born in Ardakan, a city in Yazd Province.
Iranian presidential election, 1997: The election in which Mohammad Khatami won Iran’s presidency by a large majority. Its unexpected scale of support launched Khatami’s reformist presidency.
Guardian Council: An Iranian constitutional body that vets legislation and candidates for elected office. Its reviews and disqualifications obstructed parts of Khatami’s reform agenda.
Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani: An Iranian cleric and politician who served as president from 1989 to 1997 and later chaired the Expediency Discernment Council. Rafsanjani’s presidency immediately preceded Khatami’s and shaped the political setting he inherited.
Civil society: The institutions and associations through which people organize outside the state and market. Khatami made civil society a central theme of his reformist political vocabulary.
Qom: An Iranian city that is a major center of Shia Islamic scholarship and clerical education. Khatami studied Islamic theology in the clerical environment centered on Qom.

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