Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
6th President of Iran
In office
3 August 2005  3 August 2013
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei
First Vice President Parviz Davoodi
Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei
Mohammad Reza Rahimi
Preceded by Mohammad Khatami
Succeeded by Hassan Rouhani
Acting Minister of Petroleum[1]
In office
16 May 2011  2 June 2011
President Himself
Preceded by Masoud Mir-Kazemi
Succeeded by Mohammad Aliabadi (Acting)
Acting Minister of Intelligence[2]
In office
26 July 2009  5 August 2009
President Himself
Preceded by Gholam-Hossein Eje'i
Succeeded by Heydar Moslehi
Mayor of Tehran
In office
3 May 2003  3 August 2005
Preceded by Mohammad-Hassan Malekmadani
Succeeded by Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf
Governor of Ardabil Province
In office
28 November 1993  29 October 1997
President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
Preceded by Province created
Succeeded by Seyyed Hamid Tahayi
Secretary General of the Non-Aligned Movement
In office
30 August 2012  3 August 2013
Preceded by Mohamed Morsi
Succeeded by Hassan Rouhani
Personal details
Born Mahmoud Sabbaghian[3]
(1956-10-28) 28 October 1956
Aradan, Semnan, Iran
Political party
Spouse(s) Azam Farahi (1980–present)
Children 3
Relatives Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei (co-fathers-in-law)
Residence Square 72, Narmak, Tehran[6]
Alma mater Iran University of Science and Technology
Occupation University professor
Profession Traffic engineer
Religion Shia Islam (Twelver)
Signature Signature of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Military service
Allegiance Iran Islamic Republic of Iran
Service/branch Revolutionary Guards
Years of service 2[7]
Unit

Hamzeh Headquarters[7]
6th Special Division

  • Combat Engineering Unit (commander)[8]
Battles/wars

Iran–Iraq War

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (Persian: محمود احمدی‌نژاد, Mahmūd Ahmadinezhād [mæhmuːd(-e) æhmædiːneʒɒːd],[9][10][11] born Mahmoud Sabbaghian[3] (Persian: محمود صباغیان) on 28 October 1956)[12][13] is an Iranian politician who was the sixth President of Iran from 2005 to 2013. He was also the main political leader of the Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran, a coalition of conservative political groups in the country.

An engineer and teacher from a poor background,[14] Ahmadinejad joined the Office for Strengthening Unity[15] after the Iranian Revolution. Appointed a provincial governor, he was removed after the election of President Mohammad Khatami and returned to teaching.[16] Tehran's council elected him mayor in 2003.[17] He took a religious hard line, reversing reforms of previous moderate mayors.[18] His 2005 presidential campaign, supported by the Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran, garnered 62% of the runoff election votes, and he became President on 3 August 2005.[19][20]

During his presidency, Ahmadinejad was viewed as a controversial figure within Iran, as well as internationally. He has been criticized domestically for his economic policies[21] and disregard for human rights.[22] Internationally, he is criticized for his hostility towards some countries, most notably Saudi Arabia, Israel, the United Kingdom, and the United States and other Western and Arab nations. In 2007, Ahmadinejad introduced a gas rationing plan to reduce the country's fuel consumption, and cut the interest rates that private and public banking facilities could charge.[23][24][25] He supports Iran's nuclear program. His election to a second term in 2009 was widely disputed[26][27] and caused widespread protests domestically and drew significant international criticism.[28]

During his second term, Ahmadinejad came under fire not only from reformers but also traditionalists[29] in parliament and the Revolutionary Guard, and even from Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei,[30] over accusations of corruption, Ahmadinejad's dismissal of Intelligence minister Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i, and his support for his controversial close adviser Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei.[31] On 14 March 2012, Ahmadinejad became the first president of the Islamic Republic of Iran to be summoned by the Islamic Consultative Assembly (parliament) to answer questions regarding his presidency.[32][33] Limited to two terms under the current Iranian constitution, Ahmadinejad supported Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei's campaign for president.[29] On 15 June 2013, Hassan Rouhani was elected as Ahmadinejad's successor and assumed office on 3 August 2013.

Early life

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was born on 28 October 1956 near Garmsar, in the village of Aradan, in Semnan province. His mother, Khanom, was a Sayyida, an honorific title given to those believed to be direct bloodline descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.[34] His father, Ahmad, was a grocer, barber and religious Shia who taught the Quran;[34] he changed his family name from "Saborjhian"[35] or "Sabaghian"[36] to Ahmadinejad in 1960 to avoid discrimination when the family moved to Tehran. Sabor is Persian for thread painter,[37] a once common occupation within the Semnan carpet industry. Ahmadinejad's uncle and his brother Davoud Ahmadinejad have confirmed that the previous surname was "Sabbaghian" (Persian: صباغیان).[3] When Mahmoud was one year old, his family moved to the city. This movement was along with the change of family name. Ahmadi Nejad is a composite name. Ahmad is to a name applied for Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, and namely virtuous. The suffix of Nejad in Persian language means race, therefore the term Ahmadi Nejad means "the race of Muhammad". According to the interviews with the relatives of Ahmadi Nejad, his father who works in small shop, sold his house in Tehran and bought a smaller one, giving the leftover to charity and poor people.[38] In 1976, Ahmadinejad took Iran's national university entrance examination. According to his autobiography, he was ranked 132nd out of 400,000 participants that year,[39] and soon enrolled in the Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST) as an undergraduate student of civil engineering. He earned his PhD (1997) in transportation engineering and planning from Iran University of Science and Technology, located at Tehran, when he was the mayor of Ardabil Province, located at the north-west of the country.

Supporters of Ahmadinejad consider him a simple man who leads a modest life.[40] As president, he wanted to continue living in the same house in Tehran his family had been living in until his security advisers insisted that he should move. Ahmadinejad had the antique Persian carpets in the Presidential palace sent to a carpet museum, and opted instead to use inexpensive carpets. He is said to have refused the V.I.P. seat on the Presidential plane, and that he eventually replaced it with a cargo plane instead.[16][41] Also upon gaining Iran's presidency, Ahmadinejad held his first cabinet meeting in the Imam Reza shrine at Mashhad, an act perceived as "pious".[42]

Administrative and academic careers

Some details of Ahmadinejad's life during the 1980s are not publicly known, but it is known that he held a number of administrative posts in the province of West Azerbaijan, Iran.[16]

Many reports say that after Saddam Hussein ordered the invasion of Iran, Ahmadinejad joined the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution[17] and served in their intelligence and security apparatus,[17] but his advisor Mojtaba Samareh Hashemi says, "He has never been a member or an official member of the Revolutionary Guards", having been a Basiji-like volunteer instead.[43]

Ahmadinejad was accepted to a Master of Science program at his alma mater in 1986. He joined the faculty there as a lecturer in 1989,[14][44] and in 1997 received his doctorate in civil engineering and traffic transportation planning.[14][17]

Embassy siege

Shortly after Ahmadinejad was elected president, some western media outlets published claims that he was among the students who stormed the U.S. embassy in Tehran, sparking the Iran hostage crisis. This claim has been denied by the Iranian government, the Iranian opposition, as well as a CIA investigation on the matter.

Early political career

After the Islamic Revolution, Ahmadinejad became a member of the Office for Strengthening Unity,[15] an organization developed to prevent students from sympathizing or allying with the budding Mojahedin-e Khalq.[15]

He first took political office as unelected governor to both Maku and Khoy in West Azarbaijan Province during the 1980s.[17] He eventually became an advisor to the governor general of Kurdistan Province for two years.[14][44] During his doctoral studies at Tehran, he was appointed governor general of newly formed Ardabil Province from 1993 until Mohammad Khatami removed him in 1997,[44] whereupon he returned to teaching.[17]

Mayor of Tehran

The 2003 mayoral race in Tehran elected conservative candidates from the Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran to the City Council of Tehran. The Council appointed Ahmadinejad mayor.[17]

As mayor, he reversed changes made by previous moderate and reformist mayors. He put religious emphasis on the activities of cultural centres they had founded, publicised the separation of elevators for men and women in the municipality offices,[18] and suggested that people killed in the Iran–Iraq War be buried in major city squares of Tehran. He also worked to improve the traffic system and put an emphasis on charity, such as distributing free soup to the poor.

After his election to the presidency, Ahmadinejad's resignation as the Mayor of Tehran was accepted on 28 June 2005. After two years as mayor, Ahmadinejad was one of 65 finalists for World Mayor in 2005, selected from 550 nominees, only nine of them from Asia.[45] He was among three strong candidates for the top-ten list, but his resignation made him ineligible.[45]

Presidency

2005 Campaign

Ahmadinejad was not widely known when he entered the presidential election campaign as he had never run for office before, (he had been mayor of Tehran for only two years and had been appointed, not elected),[46] although he had already made his mark in Tehran for rolling back earlier reforms. He was/is a member of the Central Council of the Islamic Society of Engineers, but his key political support is inside the Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran (Abadgaran or Developers).[47] He was also helped by support from supreme leader Ali Khamenei, who some described Ahmadinejad as a "protege" of.[48]

Ahmadinejad generally sent mixed signals about his plans for his presidency, perhaps to attract both religious conservatives and the lower economic classes.[49] His campaign slogan was: "It's possible and we can do it".[50]

In the campaign, he took a populist approach. He emphasized his own modest life, and compared himself with Mohammad Ali Rajai, Iran's second president. Ahmadinejad said he planned to create an "exemplary government for the people of the world" in Iran. He was a "principlist", acting politically based on Islamic and revolutionary principles. One of his goals was "putting the petroleum income on people's tables", meaning Iran's oil profits would be distributed among the poor.[51]

Ahmadinejad was the only presidential candidate who spoke out against future relations with the United States. He told Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting the United Nations was "one-sided, stacked against the world of Islam."[52] He opposed the veto power of the UN Security Council's five permanent members: "It is not just for a few states to sit and veto global approvals. Should such a privilege continue to exist, the Muslim world with a population of nearly 1.5 billion should be extended the same privilege." He defended Iran's nuclear program and accused "a few arrogant powers" of trying to limit Iran's industrial and technological development in this and other fields.

In his second-round campaign, he said, "We didn't participate in the revolution for turn-by-turn government....This revolution tries to reach a world-wide government." He spoke of an extended program using trade to improve foreign relations, and called for greater ties with Iran's neighbours and ending visa requirements between states in the region, saying that "people should visit anywhere they wish freely. People should have freedom in their pilgrimages and tours."[50]

Ahmadinejad described Ayatollah Mohammad Taghi Mesbah Yazdi, a senior cleric from Qom, as his ideological and spiritual mentor. Mesbah founded the Haghani School of thought in Iran. He and his team strongly supported Ahmadinejad's 2005 presidential campaign.[53]

2005 Presidential election

Ahmadinejad won 62% of the vote in the run-off poll against Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei authorized his presidency on 3 August 2005.[19][20] Ahmedinejad kissed Khamenei's hand during the ceremony to show his loyalty.[54][55]

2005 Cabinet appointments

Ministry Minister
Agriculture Mohammad Reza Eskandari
Commerce Masoud Mir Kazemi
Communication and Information Technology Mohammad Soleimani
Cooperatives Mohammad Abbasi
Culture and Islamic Guidance Hossein Saffar Harandi
Defense and Armed Forces Logistics Mostafa Mohammad Najjar
Economy and Financial Affairs Hossein Samsami
Education Alireza Ali Ahmadi
Energy Parviz Fattah
Foreign Affairs Manoucher Mottaki
Health and Medical Education Kamran Bagheri Lankarani
Housing and Urban Development Mohammad Saeedikia
Industries and Mines Aliakbar Mehrabian
Intelligence Gholam Hossein Mohseni-Ejehei
Interior Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi[56]
Justice Gholam Hossein Elham
Labour and Social Affairs Mohammad Jahromi
Petroleum Gholam Hossein Nozari
Roads and Transportation Hamid Behbahani
Science, Research, and Technology Mohammad Mehdi Zahedi
Welfare and Social Security Abdolreza Mesri

Iran's President is constitutionally obliged to obtain confirmation from the parliament for his selection of ministers.[57] Ahmadinejad presented a short-list at a private meeting on 5 August, and his final list on 14 August. The Majlis rejected all of his cabinet candidates for the oil portfolio and objected to the appointment of his allies in senior government office.[51] The Majlis approved a cabinet on 24 August.[58] The ministers promised to meet frequently outside Tehran and held their first meeting on 25 August in Mashhad, with four empty seats for the unapproved nominees.[59]

2006 Councils and Assembly of Experts election

Ahmadinejad's team lost the 2006 city council elections.[60] In the first nationwide election since Ahmadinejad became President, his allies failed to dominate election returns for the Assembly of Experts and local councils. Results, with a turnout of about 60%, suggested a voter shift toward more moderate policies. According to an editorial in the Kargozaran independent daily newspaper, "The results show that voters have learned from the past and concluded that we need to support.. moderate figures." An Iranian political analyst said that "this is a blow for Ahmadinejad and Mesbah Yazdi's list."[60]

2009 Presidential election

Ahmadinejad in Yekaterinburg, Russia, 16 June 2009

On 23 August 2008, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei announced that he "sees Ahmadinejad as president in the next five years," a comment interpreted as indicating support for Ahmadinejad's reelection.[61] 39,165,191 ballots were cast in the election on 12 June 2009, according to Iran's election headquarters. Ahmadinejad won 24,527,516 votes, (62.63%). In second place, Mir-Hossein Mousavi, won 13,216,411 (33.75%) of the votes.[62]

2009 Iranian Presidential election protests

As of April 2011, the election results remained in dispute with both Mousavi and Ahmadinejad and their respective supporters who believe that electoral fraud occurred during the election. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei formally endorsed Ahmadinejad as President on 3 August 2009, and Ahmadinejad was sworn in for a second term on 5 August 2009.[63] Iran's Constitution stipulates term limits of two terms for the office of President.[64] Several Iranian political figures appeared to avoid the ceremony. Former presidents Mohammad Khatami, and Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who is currently head of the Expediency Discernment Council, along with opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, did not attend the ceremony.[65] Opposition groups asked protesters on reformist websites and blogs to launch new street demonstrations on the day of the inauguration ceremony.[66] On inauguration day, hundreds of riot police met opposition protesters outside parliament. After taking the oath of office, which was broadcast live on Iranian state television, Ahmadinejad said that he would "protect the official faith, the system of the Islamic revolution and the constitution."[63] France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States announced that they would not send the usual letters of congratulation.[63]

2009 Cabinet appointments

Ministry Minister
Agriculture Sadeq Khalilian
Commerce Mehdi Ghazanfari
Communication and Information Technology Reza Taghipour
Cooperatives Mohammad Abbasi
Culture and Islamic Guidance Mohammad Hosseini
Defense and Armed Forces Logistics Ahmad Vahidi
Economy and Financial Affairs Shamseddin Hosseini
Education Hamid-Reza Haji Babaee
Energy Majid Namjoo
Foreign Affairs Manouchehr Mottaki
Health and Medical Education Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi
Housing and Urban Development Reza Sheykholeslam
Industries and Mines Aliakbar Mehrabian
Intelligence Heydar Moslehi
Interior Mostafa Mohammad Najjar
Justice Morteza Bakhtiari
Labour and Social Affairs Ali Nikzad
Petroleum Masoud Mir Kazemi
Roads and Transportation Hamid Behbahani
Science, Research, and Technology Kamran Daneshjoo
Welfare and Social Security Sadeq Mahsouli

Ahmadinejad announced controversial ministerial appointments for his second term. Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei was briefly appointed as first vice president, but opposed by a number of Majlis members and by the intelligence minister, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i. Mashaei followed orders to resign. Ahmadinejad then appointed Mashaei as chief of staff, and fired Mohseni-Eje'i.[67]

On 26 July 2009, Ahmadinejad's government faced a legal problem after he sacked four ministers. Iran's constitution (Article 136) stipulates that, if more than half of its members are replaced, the cabinet may not meet or act before the Majlis approves the revised membership.[68] The vice chairman of the Majlis announced that no cabinet meetings or decisions would be legal, pending such a re-approval.[69]

The main list of 21 cabinet appointments was announced on 19 August 2009.[70] On 4 September, the Majlis approved 18 of the 21 candidates, and rejected three, including two women. Sousan Keshavarz, Mohammad Aliabadi, and Fatemeh Ajorlou were not approved by Majlis for the Ministries of Education, Energy, and Welfare and Social Security, respectively. Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi was the first woman approved by the Majlis as a minister in the Islamic Republic of Iran.[71]

2012 Parliamentary elections

Ahmadinejad suffered a defeat in March/May 2012 parliamentary elections with Ayatollah Khamenei's "Principalist" allies winning about three quarters of the parliaments 290 seats, and Ahmadinejad supporters far fewer.[72]

Domestic policy

Economic policy

See also: Economy of Iran

In Ahmadinejad's first four years as president, Iran's real GDP reflected growth of the economy. Inflation and unemployment also decreased under Ahmadinejad due to better economic management and ending the unsustainable spending and borrowing patterns of previous administrations .[73][74] Ahmadinejad increased spending by 25% and supported subsidies for food and petrol. He also initially refused a gradual increase of petrol prices, saying that after making necessary preparations, such as a development of public transportation system, the government would free up petrol prices after five years.[75] Interest rates were cut by presidential decree to below the inflation rate. One unintended effect of this stimulation of the economy has been the bidding up of some urban real estate prices by two or three times their pre-Ahmadinejad value by Iranians seeking to invest surplus cash and finding few other safe opportunities. The resulting increase in the cost of housing hurt poorer, non-property owning Iranians, the putative beneficiaries of Ahmadinejad's populist policies.[76] The Management and Planning Organisation, a state body charged with mapping out long-term economic and budget strategy, was broken up and its experienced managers were fired.[77]

In June 2006, 50 Iranian economists wrote a letter to Ahmadinejad that criticized his price interventions to stabilize prices of goods, cement, government services, and his decree issued by the High Labor Council and the Ministry of Labor that proposed an increase of workers' salaries by 40%. Ahmadinejad publicly responded harshly to the letter and denounced the accusations.[78][79] Ahmadinejad called for "middle-of-the-road" compromises with respect to Western-oriented capitalism and socialism. Current political conflicts with the United States caused the central bank to fear increased capital flight due to global isolation. These factors prevented an improvement of infrastructure and capital influx, despite high economic potential.[73] Among those that did not vote for him in the first election, only 3.5% said they would consider voting for him in the next election.[80] Mohammad Khoshchehreh, a member of the Iranian parliament that campaigned for Ahmadinejad, said that his government "has been strong on populist slogans, but weak on achievement."[81]

President Ahmadinejad changed almost all of his economic ministers, including oil, industry and economy, since coming to power in 2005. In an interview with Fars News Agency on April 2008, Davoud Danesh Jaafari who acted as minister of economy in Ahmadinejad's cabinet, harshly criticized his economic policy: "During my time, there was no positive attitude towards previous experiences or experienced people and there was no plan for the future. Peripheral issues which were not of dire importance to the nation were given priority. Most of the scientific economic concepts like the effect of liquidity on inflation were put in question."[82] In response to these criticisms, Ahmadinejad accused his minister of not being "a man of justice" and declared that the solution to Iran's economic problem is "the culture of martyrdom".[83] In May 2008, the petroleum minister of Iran admitted that the government illegally invested 2 billion dollars to import petrol in 2007. At Iranian parliament, he also mentioned that he simply followed the president's order.[84]

While his government had 275 thousand billion toman oil income, the highest in Iranian history, Ahmadinejad's government had the highest budget deficit since the Iranian revolution.[85]

During his presidency, Ahmadinejad launched a gasoline rationing plan to reduce the country's fuel consumption. He also instituted cuts in the interest rates that private and public banking facilities could charge.[23][24][86] He issued a directive that the Management and Planning Organization be affiliated to the government.[87] In May 2011, Ahmadinejad announced that he would temporarily run the Oil Ministry.[88]

Family planning and population policy

In October 2006, Ahmadinejad began calling for the scrapping of Iran's existing birth-control policies which discouraged Iranian couples from having more than two children. He told MPs that Iran could cope with 50 million more people than the current 70 million. In November 2010, he urged Iranians to marry and reproduce earlier: "We should take the age of marriage for boys to 20 and for girls to about 16 and 17."[89] His remarks have drawn criticism and been called ill-judged at a time when Iran was struggling with surging inflation and rising unemployment, estimated at around 11%. Ahmadinejad's call was reminiscent of a call for Iranians to have more children made by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1979. The policy had increased Iran's population by 16 million in seven years[90] but had eventually been reversed in response to the resultant economic strain.[91]

In 2008, the government sent the "Family Protection Bill" to the Iranian parliament. Women's rights activists criticized the bill for removing protections from women, such as the requirement that a husband obtain his wife's consent before marrying a second wife. Women's rights in Iran are more religiously based than those in secular countries.[92]

Housing

The first legislation to emerge from his newly formed government was a 12 trillion rial (US$1.3 billion) fund called "Reza's Compassion Fund",[93] named after Shi'a Imam Ali al-Rida. Ahmadinejad's government said this fund would tap Iran's oil revenues to help young people get jobs, afford marriage, and buy their own homes.[94] The fund also sought charitable donations, with a board of trustees in each of Iran's 30 provinces. The legislation was a response to the cost of urban housing, which is pushing up the national average marital age (currently around 25 years for women and 28 years for men). In 2006 the Iranian parliament rejected the fund. However, Ahmadinejad ordered the administrative council to execute the plan.[93]

Human rights

Ahmadinejad speaking at Columbia University, September 2007

According to a report by Human Rights Watch, "Since President Ahmadinejad came to power, treatment of detainees has worsened in Evin Prison as well as in detention centers operated clandestinely by the Judiciary, the Ministry of Information, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps."[95] Again according to Human Rights Watch, "Respect for basic human rights in Iran, especially freedom of expression and assembly, deteriorated in 2006. The government routinely tortures and mistreats detained dissidents, including through prolonged solitary confinement." Human Rights Watch described the source of human rights violations in contemporary Iran as coming from the Judiciary, accountable to Ali Khamenei, and from members directly appointed by Ahmadinejad.

Responses to dissent have varied. Human Rights Watch writes that "the Ahmadinejad government, in a pronounced shift from the policy under former president Mohammed Khatami, has shown no tolerance for peaceful protests and gatherings." In December 2006, Ahmadinejad advised officials not to disturb students who engaged in a protest during a speech of his at the Amirkabir University of Technology in Tehran,[96][97] although speakers at other protests have included among their complaints that there had been a crackdown on dissent at universities since Ahmadinejad was elected.[98]

In April 2007, the Tehran police, which is under Khamenei's supervision, began a crackdown on women with "improper hijab." This led to criticism from associates of Ahmadinejad.[99]

In 2012, Ahmadinejad claimed that AIDS was created by the West in order to weaken poorer countries, and repeated a previous claim that homosexual Iranians did not exist.[100] He has also described homosexuality as "ugly".[101]

Universities

In 2006, the Ahmadinejad[102] government reportedly forced numerous Iranian scientists and university professors to resign or to retire. It has been referred to as the "second cultural revolution".[103][104] The policy has been said to replace old professors with younger ones.[105] Some university professors received letters indicating their early retirement unexpectedly.[106] In November 2006, 53 university professors had to retire from Iran University of Science and Technology.[107]

In 2006, Ahmadinejad's government applied a 50% quota for male students and 50% for female students in the university entrance exam for medicine, dentistry and pharmacy. The plan was supposed to stop the growing presence of female students in the universities. In a response to critics, Iranian minister of health and medical education, Kamran Bagheri Lankarani argued that there are not enough facilities such as dormitories for female students. Masoud Salehi, president of Zahedan University said that presence of women generates some problems with transportation. Also, Ebrahim Mekaniki, president of Babol University of Medical Sciences, stated that an increase in the presence of women will make it difficult to distribute facilities in a suitable manner. Bagher Larijani, the president of Tehran University of Medical Sciences made similar remarks. According to Rooz Online, the quotas lack a legal foundation and are justified as support for "family" and "religion."

December 2006 student protest

In December 2006, it was reported that some students were angry about the International Conference to Review the Global Vision of the Holocaust, which they saw as promoting Holocaust denial.[108]

In response to the students' slogans, the president said: "We have been standing up to dictatorship so that no one will dare to establish dictatorship in a millennium even in the name of freedom. Given the scars inflicted on the Iranian nation by agents of the US and British dictatorship, no one will ever dare to initiate the rise of a dictator."[109] It was reported that even though the protesters broke the TV cameras and threw hand-made bombs at Ahmadinejad,[110] the president asked the officials not to question or disturb the protesters.[111][112] In his blog, Ahmadinejad described his reaction to the incident as "a feeling of joy" because of the freedom that people enjoyed after the revolution.[113]

One thousand students also protested the day before to denounce the increased pressure on the reformist groups at the university. One week prior, more than two thousand students protested at Tehran University on the country's annual student day, with speakers saying that there had been a crackdown on dissent at universities since Ahmadinejad was elected.[108][114]

Nuclear program

Ahmadinejad has been a vocal supporter of Iran's nuclear program, and has insisted that it is for peaceful purposes. He has repeatedly emphasized that building a nuclear bomb is not the policy of his government. He has said that such a policy is "illegal and against our religion."[115][116] He also added at a January 2006 conference in Tehran that a nation with "culture, logic and civilization" would not need nuclear weapons, and that countries that seek nuclear weapons are those that want to solve all problems by the use of force.[117] In a 2008 interview Ahmadinejad elaborated that countries striving to obtain nuclear weapons are not politically progressive nations and those who possess them and continually make new generations of such bombs are "even more backward".[118]

In April 2006, Ahmadinejad announced that Iran had successfully refined uranium to a stage suitable for the nuclear fuel cycle. In a speech to students and academics in Mashhad, he was quoted as saying that Iran's conditions had changed completely as it had become a nuclear state and could talk to other states from that stand.[119] On 13 April 2006, Iran's news agency, IRNA, quoted Ahmadinejad as saying that the peaceful Iranian nuclear technology would not pose a threat to any party because "we want peace and stability and we will not cause injustice to anyone and at the same time we will not submit to injustice."[120] Nevertheless, Iran's nuclear policy under Ahmadinejad's administration has received much criticism, spearheaded by the United States and Israel. The accusations include that Iran is striving to obtain nuclear arms and developing long-range firing capabilities—and that Ahmadinejad issued an order to keep UN inspectors from freely visiting the nation's nuclear facilities and viewing their designs, in defiance of an IAEA resolution.[121][122][123][124] Following a May 2009 test launch of a long-range missile, Ahmadinejad was quoted as telling the crowd that with its nuclear program, Iran was sending the West a message that "the Islamic Republic of Iran is running the show."[125]

Despite Ahmadinejad's vocal support for the program, the office of the Iranian president is not directly responsible for nuclear policy. It is instead set by the Supreme National Security Council. The council includes two representatives appointed by the Supreme Leader, military officials, and members of the executive, judicial, and legislative branches of government, and reports directly to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who issued a fatwa against nuclear weapons in 2005.[126] Khamenei has criticized Ahmadinejad's "personalization" of the nuclear issue.[127]

Ahmadinejad vowed in February 2008 that Iran will not be held back from developing its peaceful nuclear program[128] and has stated that at least 16 different peaceful uses for nuclear technology have so far been identified.[118] Ahmadinejad has stressed the importance of the right to peaceful nuclear development. Iranian opposition leader, Mousavi, has even stated that giving up the country's nuclear program would be "irreparable" and that the Iranian people support the nuclear program. "No one in Iran will accept suspension," Mousavi has said, adding that if elected, his policy would be to work to provide "guarantees" that Tehran's nuclear activities would never divert to non-peaceful aims.[129]

In October 2009, the United States, France and Russia proposed a U.N.-drafted deal with Iran regarding its nuclear program, in an effort to find a compromise between Iran's stated need for a nuclear reactor and the concerns of those who are worried that Iran harbors a secret intent of developing a nuclear weapon. After some delay in responding, on 29 October, Ahmadinejad seemed to change his tone towards the deal. "We welcome fuel exchange, nuclear co-operation, building of power plants and reactors and we are ready to co-operate," he said in a live broadcast on state television.[130] However, he added that Iran would not retreat "one iota" on its right to a sovereign nuclear program.[131]

Domestic criticism and controversies

Accusations of corruption

According to Brussels-based NGO International Crisis Group, Ahmadinejad has been criticized for attacking private "plunderers" and "corrupt officials," while engaging in "cronyism and political favouritism". Many of his close associates were appointed to positions for which they have no obvious qualifications, and "billion dollar no-bid contracts" were awarded to the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), an organization with which he is strongly associated.[132]

According to Najmeh Bozorgmehr of Financial Times, "Iran has a long history of cronyism and corruption under its monarchies and the Islamic Republic. But the scale of corruption under Mr. Ahmadinejad was of a different order, according to both reform-minded and conservative politicians."[133]

Other statements

Participants of the second Caspian Summit in October 2007. From left to right: President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliev, President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbaev, President of Russia Vladimir Putin and President of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

In June 2007, Ahmadinejad was criticized by some Iranian parliament members over his remark about Christianity and Judaism. According to Aftab News Agency, Ahmadinejad stated: "In the world, there are deviations from the right path: Christianity and Judaism. Dollars have been devoted to the propagation of these deviations. There are also false claims that these [religions] will save mankind. But Islam is the only religion that [can] save mankind." Some members of Iranian parliament criticized these remarks as being fuels to religious war.[134][135]

Conservative MP Rafat Bayat has accused Ahmadinejad for a decline in observance of the required hijab for women, calling him "not that strict on this issue".[136] Ahmadinejad was also accused of indecency by people close to Rafsanjani,[137] after he publicly kissed the hand of a woman who used to be his school teacher.[138]

The UN and football stadiums

There are two statements that led to criticism from some religious authorities. One concerns his speech at the United Nations, and the other concerns the attendance of women at football matches. During a visit to group of Ayatollahs in Qom after returning from his 2005 speech to the UN General Assembly, Ahmadinejad stated he had "felt a halo over his head" during his speech and that a hidden presence had mesmerized the unblinking audience of foreign leaders, foreign ministers, and ambassadors. Ahmedinejad closed his speech with a call for the "mighty Lord" to "hasten the emergence" of Imam Mahdi.[139] According to at least one source (Hooman Majd), the response given to Ahmedinejad at the assembly was offensive to the conservative religious leaders because an ordinary man cannot presume a special closeness to God or any of the Imams, nor can he imply the presence of the Mahdi.[140]

In another statement in 2006, Ahmadinejad proclaimed (without consulting the clerics beforehand), that women be allowed into football stadiums to watch male football clubs compete. This proclamation "was quickly overruled" by clerical authorities, one of whom, Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Fazel Lankarani "refused for weeks to meet with President Ahmadinejad" in early 2007.[140]

Constitutional conflict

In 2008, a serious conflict emerged between the Iranian President and the head of parliament over three laws approved by the Iranian parliament: "the agreement for civil and criminal legal cooperation between Iran and Kyrgyzstan", "the agreement to support mutual investment between Iran and Kuwait", and "the law for registration of industrial designs and trademarks". The conflict was so serious that the Iranian leader stepped in to resolve it. Ahmadinejad wrote a letter to the parliamentary speaker Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel, furiously denouncing him for the "inexplicable act" of bypassing the presidency by giving the order to implement legislation in an official newspaper.[141] Ahmadinejad accused the head of parliament of violating Iranian constitutional law. He called for legal action against the parliament speaker.[142][143] Haddad-Adel responded to Ahmadinejad accusing him of using inappropriate language in his remarks and letters.[144]

Ali Kordan

Main article: Ali Kordan

In August 2008, Ahmadinejad, appointed Ali Kordan as interior minister. Kordan's appointment was heavily criticized by Iranian parliamentarians, media and analysts after it came to light that a doctoral degree purportedly awarded to Kordan was fabricated, and that the putative issuer of the degree, Oxford University, had no record of Kordan receiving any degree from the University.[145] It was also revealed that he had been jailed in 1978 for moral charges.[146]

In November 2008, Ahmadinejad announced that he was against impeachment of Kordan by Iranian parliament. He refused to attend the parliament on the impeachment day.[147] Kordan was expelled from office by Iranian parliament on 4 November 2008. 188 MPs voted against him. An impeachment of Kordan would push Ahmadinejad close to having to submit his entire cabinet for review by parliament, which was led by one of his chief political opponents. Iran's constitution requires that step if more than half the cabinet ministers are replaced, and Ahmadinejad replaced nine of 21 until that date.[148][149]

Conflict with Parliament

Ahmadinejad speaking in the Majlis, Chairman Ali Larijani is also pictured

In February 2009, after Supreme Audit Court of Iran reported that $1.058 billion of surplus oil revenue in the (2006–2007) budget hadn't been returned by the government to the national treasury,[150] Ali Larijani, Iran's parliamentary speaker, called for further investigations to make sure the missing funds are returned to the treasury as soon as possible.[151] Tensions between Larijani and Ahmadinejad continued into 2013.[152]

Ahmadinejad criticized the National Audit Office for what he called its "carelessness", saying the report "incites the people" against the government.[153] The head of the parliament energy commission, Hamidreza Katouzian, reported "The government spent $5 billion to import fuel, about $2 billion more than the sum parliament had authorized." Katouzian quoted Iran's Oil Minister, Gholam-Hossein Nozari, as saying that President Ahmadinejad had ordered the extra purchase.[154]

In May 2011, several members of parliament threatened to initiate impeachment proceedings against Ahmadinejad after his merger of eight government ministries and the firing of three ministers without parliament's consent. According to the Majles news website, MP Mohammad Reza Bahonar stated, "legal purging starts with questions, which lead to warnings and end with impeachment." On 25 May, parliament voted to investigate another allegation, that Ahmadinejad had committed election irregularities by giving cash to up to nine million Iranians before the 2009 presidential elections. The vote came within hours after the allegations appeared in several popular conservative news sites associated with supreme leader Ali Khamenei, suggesting the supreme leader supported the investigation.[155] The disputes were seen as part of the clash between Ahmadinejad and other conservatives and former supporters, including supreme leader Khamenei, over what the conservatives see as Ahmadinejad's confrontational policies and abuse of power.[155][156]

Relations with Supreme Leader of Iran

Early in his presidency, Ahmadinejad was sometimes described as "enjoy[ing] the full backing" of the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei,[157] and even as being his "protege."[158] In Ahmadinejad's 2005 inauguration the supreme leader allowed Ahmadinejad to kiss his hand and cheeks in what was called "a sign of closeness and loyalty,"[159] and after the 2009 election fully endorsed Ahmadinejad against protesters.[160] However, as early as January 2008 signs of disagreement between the two men developed over domestic policies,[157] and by the period of 2010–11 several sources detected a "growing rift" between them.[30] The disagreement was described as centering on Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, a top adviser and close confidant of Ahmadinejad[31] and opponent of "greater involvement of clerics in politics",[161] who was first vice president of Iran until being ordered to resign from the cabinet by the supreme leader. In 2009 Ahmadinejad dismissed Intelligence Minister Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i, an opponent of Mashaei. In April 2011, another Intelligence minister, Heydar Moslehi, resigned after being asked to by Ahmadinejad, but was reinstated by the supreme leader within hours.[158][162] Ahmadinejad declined to officially back Moslehi's reinstatement for two weeks and in protest engaged in an "11-day walkout" of cabinet meetings, religious ceremonies, and other official functions.[30][162] Ahmadinejad's actions led to angry public attacks by clerics, parliamentarians and military commanders, who accused him of ignoring orders from the supreme leader.[31] Conservative opponents in parliament launched an "impeachment drive" against him,[161] four websites with ties to Ahmadinejad reportedly were "filtered and blocked",[158] and several people "said to be close" to the president and Mashaei (such as Abbas Amirifar and Mohammed Sharif Malekzadeh) were arrested on charges of being "magicians" and invoking djinns.[30] On 6 May 2011, it was reported that Ahmadinejad had been given an ultimatum to accept the leader's intervention or resign,[163] and on 8 May he "apparently bowed" to the reinstatement, welcoming back Moslehi to a cabinet meeting.[164] The events have been said to have "humiliated and weakened" Ahmadinejad, though the president denied that there had been any rift between the two,[31] and according to the semiofficial Fars News Agency, he stated that his relationship with the supreme leader "is that of a father and a son."[161]

In 2012, Khamenei ordered a halt to a parliamentary inquiry into Ahmadinejad's mishandling of the Iranian economy.[165]

Hugo Chavez's funeral

Ahmedinejad was criticised by the religious and political groups in Iran for photographs taken of him embracing Elena Frias de Chavez, the mother of recently deceased Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, at his funeral. In the image, Ahmedinejad was thought to be holding her hands and in a cheek-to-cheek embrace; such an act, touching an unrelated woman, is considered haraam (forbidden) in Islam.[166][167] Iranian government officials responded by stating that the image was a fake, then released a second photo showing Ahmadinejad in the same pose, but in this case hugging a man.[168] This later photograph was debunked when it was discovered that the other man was Egyptian opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei, who had not been at the funeral.[169]

Nepotism

One of the most frequent criticisms about Ahmedinejad has been nepotism in his governments. Nepotism was one of his habits in appointing senior government officials.[170][171] His elder brother, Davoud, was appointed chief inspector at the presidency in 2005 and was in office until 2008.[172][173] His sister, Parvin, served at the presidential's women's center.[170] His nephew, Ali Akbar Mehrabian, served as the mining and industry minister in his cabinet.[170] His daughter's father-in-law, Esfendiar Rahim Mashaei, served at senior positions.[173][174] His own brother-in-law, Masoud Zaribafan, served as cabinet secretary.[172]

Foreign relations

Countries visited by President Ahmadinejad during his terms in office

During Ahmadinejad's tenure as President of Iran the foreign policy of the country took a different approach from the previous administration. Relations with developed countries generally soured while relations with less-developed countries, including Africa and Latin America, rose. In light of the calls for sanctions on Iran for its nuclear weapons programme, Ahmadinejad and his foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, traveled extensively throughout the two regions, as well as hosted other leaders. Relations with the ALBA states, and Venezuela, Bolivia, and Ecuador, in particular, were most strengthened. Relations with America during the Bush administration and Israel deteriorated further.

Ahmadinejad meeting with former Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Tehran

Ahmadinejad is an outspoken critic of the Western world and is often criticized for his hostility towards the United States, Israel, the United Kingdom and other western nations.[175][176]

Israel

Ahmadinejad with leaders of the Caspian sea bordering nations

Ahmadinejad abides by Iran's long-standing policy of refusing to recognize Israel as a legitimate state, and wants the Jewish people who immigrated to Israel to return to their "fatherlands" (translated).[177]

In 2005, Ahmadinejad, in a speech praising the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini, was translated by Iranian state-run media as saying that "Israel must be wiped off the map."[178][179][180] A controversy erupted over the translation, with specialists such as Juan Cole of the University of Michigan and Arash Norouzi of the Mossadegh Project pointing out that the original statement in Farsi did not say that Israel should be wiped off the map, but instead that it would collapse.[181][182][183] The words ‘Israel’, ‘map’, and ‘to wipe off’ are non-existent in the Iranian speech's original. According to another IRNA translation, Ahmadinejad, on the occasion of a commemoration of the anniversary of Khomeini's death on 3 June 2008, he stated that "The corrupt element will be wiped off the map."[184] Contextually, Ahmadinejad was quoting Khomeini's words about the imminent disappearance of the Soviet Union and the Shah's regime, and tacked on his remarks concerning Israel. In Katajun Amirpur's analysis, there is no implication in the text that Iran intended destroying Israel or annihilating the Jewish people, any more than Khomeini was suggesting with his words that the Russians, or the Iranian people themselves under the Shah would be extinguished.[184] Ahmadinejad is on the record as stating that Iran had no plans to attack Israel.[184] The statement itself was in fact a citation, with a minute verbal variation, of a remark made by Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979, which had created no furor at the time, but did so when Ahmadinejad quoted them in 2005.[185] Former Israeli minister of intelligence and atomic energy Dan Meridor believes Ahmadinejad's quote was misinterpreted, while the Washington Post's fact-checker editor Glenn Kessler says the interpretation gets murkier when Ahmadinejad's quote is set against other Iranian propaganda. Karim Sadjadpour, an Iranian specialist at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, cites proof that the Iranian government releases propaganda that clearly says Israel should be "wiped off." Joshua Teitelbaum of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs discovered pictures of Iranian propaganda banners that clearly say in English: "Israel should be wiped out of the face of the world."[186][187] In March 2016, Iran tested a ballistic missile painted with the phrase "Israel should be wiped off the Earth" in Hebrew. The missile is reported to be capable of reaching Israel.[188][188][189][190][191]

The Official Web site of the President of Iran quoted Ahmadinejad as saying on 15 May 2011 "The reason for our insistence that the Zionist regime should be wiped out and vanished is that the Zionist regime is the main base for imposing oppression and harbors the main terrorists of the world."[192]

Criticism of him in the West has been coupled with accusations of describing the Holocaust as a myth[193] and of statements influenced by "classic anti-Semitic ideas,"[194] which has led to accusations of antisemitism,[195] though he has denied these accusations, saying that he "respects Jews very much" and that he was not "passing judgment" on the Holocaust.[176][196][197][198]

Palestine

Demonstration against Ahmadinejad during the Rio+20 conference in Brazil

He advocates "free elections" for the region, and believes Palestinians need a stronger voice in the region's future.[199] On Quds Day in September 2010 Ahmadinejad criticized the Palestinian Authority over its president's decision to renew direct peace talks with Israel saying the talks are "stillborn" and "doomed to fail", urging the Palestinians to continue armed resistance to Israel.[200][201] He said that Mahmoud Abbas had no authority to negotiate on behalf of the Palestinians.[202][203] Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesman for the Palestinian Authority, fired back, saying, Ahmadinejad "does not represent the Iranian people,..., is not entitled to talk about Palestine, or the President of Palestine"[204][205]

United States

In September 2010, Ahmadinejad sparked controversy at the 65th session of the United Nations General Assembly by claiming that most people believe the United States government was behind the 9/11 attacks and later called for an inquiry, stating: "The fact-finding mission can shed light on who the perpetrators were, who is al-Qaeda... where does it exist? Who was it backed by and supported? All these should come to light."[206][207] The speech triggered many countries' U.N. representatives to walk out, and the U.S. president Barack Obama described the claims as "inexcusable," "offensive" and "hateful."[208] In 2010, Ahmadinejad reiterated the 9/11 conspiracy, and wrote:

"Establishing an independent and impartial committee of investigation, which would determine the roots and causes of the regrettable event of 9/11, is the demand of all the peoples of the region and the world. [...] Any opposition to this legal and human demand means that 9/11 was premeditated in order to achieve the goals of occupation and of confrontation with the nations.[209]

He made similar comments at the 66th session in September 2011.[210][211]

Venezuela

Ahmadinejad is said to have "forged a close public friendship" with Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. On Chavez's death in March 2013, Ahmadinejad posted a condolence message on his website stating, "I have no doubt that he [Chavez] will return alongside Jesus Christ and Mahdi to establish peace and justice in the world".[212]

After presidency

Ahmadinejad in his presidential museum, known as Office of the Former President of Islamic Republic of Iran

Ahmedinejad left his office at Pasteur st. on 3 August 2013 and returned to his private house in Narmak.[213]

In an interview with CNN, Ahmadinejad said that, after the end of his presidency, he would return to the university and retire from politics. However, Ahmadinejad announced from Russia on the sidelines of an OPEC summit on 2 July 2013 that he might stay involved with politics by creating a new party or non-governmental organization.[214] In late July, Mehr news agency reported that Ahmadinejad obtained permission from the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council to launch a university for post-graduate studies in Tehran.[215] On 5 August 2013, the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei issued a decree appointing Ahmedinejad as a member of the Expediency Council.[216] On 15 June 2015, a number of Ahmadinejad's cabinet ministers established a new political party, called YEKTA Front. The party published list for 2016 legislative election and some of Ahmadinejad's cabinet members (like Hamid-Reza Haji Babaee, Sadeq Khalilian, Mohammad Abbasi and Mahmoud Bahmani) registered for the election, but Ahmadinejad did not support any list in the election.

It was rumored that Ahmadinejad will run for presidency again in 2017 after Ahmadinejad did not reject his candidacy when presses asked him in 2015.[217] Ahmadinejad has remained mostly out of the public eye since leaving office, but his anti-Western rhetoric and combative style still resonate among many Iranian Principlists, and he was widely viewed as among the most formidable political figures capable of unseating Hassan Rouhani. In December 2015, it was reported that he has begin his presidential campaign by appointing his campaign's chiefs. He also began provincial travels in April 2016 by traveling to Amol. Travels were continued until September 2016, when he traveled to Gorgan.[218] Ahmadinejad's advisors said his travels are not electoral and he only delivers speeches due to public wish.[219] In September 2016, it was rumors that Ahmadinejad has asked Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of Iran for his running to the office, which has rejected by Khamenei due to countries' goodwill.[220][221] On 26 September 2016, Ayatollah Khamenei confirmed the news, stated that it was only an advise, not order.[222] It was the first time since Khamenei's election as Supreme Leader in 1989 that he advised a person to not run for election. Formerly, some candidates had asked him for advice (specifically, former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani for his campaigns in 2005 and 2013), but Khamenei chose to not give his opinion on those occasions. The following day, Ahmadinejad officially announced he will not run in the upcoming 2017 presidential election.[223]

Public image

According to a poll conducted by Information and Public Opinion Solutions LLC (iPOS) in March 2016, Ahmadinejad is the least popular political figure in Iran, while he has 57% approval and 39% disapproval ratings.[224]

Electoral history

Ahmadinejad casting his vote in 2016 elections
Year Election Votes % Rank Notes
1999City Council of Tehran Lost
2000Parliament280,0469.5568th Lost
2005President 5,711,69619.432nd Went to run-off
President run offIncrease 17,284,782Increase 61.691st Won
2009PresidentIncrease 24,527,516Increase 62.631st Won

Personal life

Ahmadinejad is married, and has one daughter and two sons.[225] His oldest son married a daughter of Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei in 2008.[226][227] One of his sons studied at the Amirkabir University of Technology (Tehran Polytechnic).[228]

See also

References

  1. Matt Smith (16 May 2011). "Ahmadinejad losing ground in Iran power struggle, analysts say". CNN. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  2. Abbas Milani (3 August 2009). "Inside The Civil War That's Threatening The Iranian Regime". New Republic. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 "داستان داوود و محمود: داوود احمدی‌نژاد چرا عليه محمود احمدس‌نژاد سخنرانی می‌كند؟" [The Story of Davoud and Mahmoud: Why Davoud Ahmadinejad Speaks Against Mahmoud Ahmadinejad?]. Aseman Weekly (in Persian). 19 November 2011. Archived from the original on 20 August 2013. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  4. "جايگزين احمدي نژاد در جمعيت ايثارگران مشخص شد" [Ahmadinejad's replacemebt in Society of Devotees anticipated] (in Persian). Alef. 28 December 2014. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  5. ""جامعه اسلامی مهندسین"؛ حزبی که پس از انحلال حزب جمهوری اسلامی ایجاد شد" ["Islamic Society of Engineers", a party established arter dissolution of Islamic Republican Party] (in Persian). Young Journalists Club. 27 March 2014. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  6. Scott Lucas (5 January 2015). "Iran Feature: Signs of an Ahmadinejad Comeback & a Hard-Line Challenge to Speaker of Parliament Larijani". EA WorldView. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  7. 1 2 Scott Peterson (2010). Let the Swords Encircle Me: Iran--A Journey Behind the Headlines. Simon and Schuster, ISBN 1416597395, pp 279-280.
  8. http://www.defapress.ir/Fa/News/88518
  9. The -[e] is the Izāfa, which is a grammatical marker linking two words together. It is not indicated in writing, and is not part of the name itself, but is pronounced in Persian language when a first and last name are used together.
  10. Pronunciations for محمود احمدی‌نژاد
  11. Persian Grammar, p. 145: . . . stress is word-final in simple, derived, and compound nouns and adjectives . . . Archived 28 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine.
  12. "Ahmedinejad: Rose and Thorn". The Diplomatic Observer. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
  13. "Mahmoud Ahmedinejad on Facebook". Facebook. 24 July 2001. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
  14. 1 2 3 4 Biography of H.E. Dr. Ahmadi Nejad, Honourable President of Islamic Republic of Iran. Retrieved 27 January 2008. Archived 3 January 2008 at the Wayback Machine.
  15. 1 2 3 "Mahmoud Ahmadinejad". Iran Chamber Society. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
  16. 1 2 3 Lee, Jon (7 January 2009). "Can Iran Change? High stakes in Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's reelection campaign". New Yorker. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 John Pike. "President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad". Global Security. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
  18. 1 2 "Ahamd Bozorgian (MP): 'The Separation of men and women's elevators is an advantageous policy. It would help to grow.'" at the Wayback Machine (archived 14 January 2006) Entekhab News. Retrieved 31 August 2006.
  19. 1 2 "Ahmadinejad Sworn in as Iran's New President". Voice Of America. 6 August 2005. Archived from the original on 2009-01-29. Retrieved 23 December 2008.
  20. 1 2 "Iran hardliner becomes president". BBC. 3 August 2005. Retrieved 6 December 2006.
  21. Hafezi, Parisa. "Influential Iran cleric slams Ahmadinejad on economy" Reuters, 13 August 2008
  22. Memarian, Omid. "Activists Warn of Rights Crisis Ahead of Ahmadinejad Visit". Inter Press Service, 17 September 2010
  23. 1 2 Robert Tait in Tehran (25 May 2007). "Iran interest rate cut sparks panic selling". London: Guardian. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
  24. 1 2 مدیریت و" برنامه ریزی منحل ش" BBC Persian. Retrieved 29 July 2007.
  25. "Assembly of Experts to study economic reform plan: Rafsanjani". Tehran Times (in Persian). 23 August 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-09-12. Retrieved 23 August 2008.
  26. "Iran clerics defy election ruling". BBC News. 5 July 2009. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
  27. "Is this government legitimate?". BBC. 7 September 2009. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
  28. Landry, Carole (25 June 2009). "G8 calls on Iran to halt election violence". Google. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
  29. 1 2 ERDBRINK, THOMAS (3 April 2013). "Power Struggle Is Gripping Iran Ahead of June Election". New York Times. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
  30. 1 2 3 4 Saeed Kamali Dehghan (5 May 2011). "Ahmadinejad allies charged with sorcery". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 10 May 2011. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
  31. 1 2 3 4 Iranian lawmakers warn Ahmadinejad to accept intelligence chief as political feud deepens, The Associated Press, 20 April 2011
  32. Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad summoned to parliament. The Guardian (14 March 2012). Retrieved on 18 December 2012.
  33. Ahmadinejad critic Larijani re-elected Iran speaker. BBC (5 June 2012). Retrieved on 18 December 2012.
  34. 1 2 Melman, Yossi; Meir Javedanfar (2007). The Nuclear Sphinx of Tehran: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the State of Iran. Basic Books. pp. 1–3. ISBN 978-0-7867-1887-0.
  35. Robert Tait (2 July 2005). "A humble beginning helped to form Iran's new hard man". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
  36. Kasra Naji says that the name was 'Sabaghian,' which means 'dye-masters' in Persian; Kasra Naji. "Ahmadinejad: The Secret History of Iran's Radical Leader". University of California Press (2008), p. 4
  37. In 2009, some media reports claimed that Sabourjian is a common Iranian Jewish name, and that "Sabor" is the name for the Jewish Tallit shawl in Persia (Daily Telegraph, 3 October 2009, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad revealed to have Jewish past); Meir Javedanfar, a blogger at The Guardian disputes this claim citing experts, The Guardian, 5 October 2009, guardian.co.uk
  38. Anoushiravan Enteshami & Mahjoob Zweiri (2007). Iran and the rise of Neoconsevatives,the politics of Tehran's silent Revolution. I.B.Tauris. p. 53.
  39. "Iran's president launches weblog". BBC. 14 August 2006. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
  40. (AFP) (12 May 2009). "Khamenei offers implicit support to Ahmadinejad". Google. Retrieved 7 September 2010.
  41. "Africa can Learn from President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad". The African Executive.
  42. Pepe Escobar. "Travels in Ahmadinejadland".
  43. Najmeh Bozorgmehr (30 May 2008). "Interview transcript: Mojtaba Samareh-Hashemi". Financial Times. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
  44. 1 2 3 Hussein D. Hassan (16 January 2007). "Profile and Statements of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad" (PDF). Library of Congress. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 January 2010. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
  45. 1 2 "The 2005 World Mayor finalists". World Mayor. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
  46. Wright, Robin, Dreams and Shadows: the Future of the Middle East, Penguin Press, 2008, p. 315
  47. Aneja, Atul (2006). He was also known as tir khalas zan before becoming president."New Dynamics." at the Wayback Machine (archived 16 October 2007) Frontline. Retrieved 28 July 2007.
  48. Ahmadinejad's enemies scent blood in Iran power struggle, Saeed Kamali Dehghan and Julian Borger|The Guardian|19 May 2011
  49. Karl Vick (19 June 2005). "Hard-Line Figure In Iran Runoff". The Washington Post. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
  50. 1 2 Babnet Tunisia (2005). "More on Mahmoud Ahmadinejad". Persian Mirror. Retrieved 2 August 2009.
  51. 1 2 S. Moubayed (19 January 2006). "Iran and the art of crisis management". Asia Times Online. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
  52. Brea, Jennifer. "Profile: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of Iran.". Retrieved 31 August 2006.
  53. Nazenin Ansari (25 June 2006). "Divide and empower". Prospect Magazine. Archived from the original on 2008-12-07. Retrieved 2 August 2009.
  54. "Behind Ahmadinejad, a Powerful Cleric". The New York Times. 9 September 2006. Retrieved 6 December 2006.
  55. "Clip DrIman CNN – at Tofoiran". 6 September 2006. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
  56. "New Iran interior chief approved". BBC News. 18 November 2008. Retrieved 21 June 2009.
  57. "Article 133". Constitution of Islamic Republic of Iran. International Constitutional Law. 1992. Retrieved 2 August 2009.
  58. "Ahmadinejad's cabinet declared." at the Wayback Machine (archived 11 January 2006) Presidency of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Retrieved 18 October 2006.
  59. "Depleted Iran cabinet meets after rejection of four by parliament". Khaleej Times Online. 26 August 2005. Retrieved 2 August 2009.
  60. 1 2 Blair, Edmund (18 December 2006). "Results in Iranian Vote Seen as Setback for Ahmadinejad". The Washington Post. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
  61. "Renewed Power Struggle in Iran as the Presidential Elections Approach: Part I – Ahmadinejad's Revolutionary-Messianic Faction vs. Rafsanjani–Reformist Alliance." Y. Mansharof and A. Savyon|26 December 2008
  62. "Ahmadinejad 'leads in Iran election'". BBC. 13 June 2009. Retrieved 13 June 2009.
  63. 1 2 3 "Defiant Iran president takes oath". BBC. 5 August 2009. Retrieved 5 August 2009.
  64. "Iran The Presidency". Photius. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
  65. "Iran poll critics shun ceremony". BBC. 3 August 2009. Retrieved 5 August 2009.
  66. "Iran's opposition calls for inauguration protests". Google News. Associated Press. 4 August 2009. Retrieved 5 August 2009.
  67. Daragahi, Borzou; Mostaghim, Ramin (27 July 2009). "Iran president clashes with conservatives". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
  68. Deshmukh, Jay (26 July 2009). "Ahmadinejad 'sacks four Iran ministers'". Google. Retrieved 7 September 2010.
  69. "آفتاب – باهنر: جلسات دولت نهم از این پس غیرقانونی است". Aftab News. Retrieved 7 September 2010.
  70. "Ahmadinejad unveils new cabinet". Presstv. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
  71. "Iran backs first woman minister". BBC. 3 September 2009. Retrieved 28 November 2009.
  72. Elections in Iran Favor Ayatollah's Allies, Dealing Blow to President and His Office The New York Times, Neil MacFarquhar|4 March 2012
  73. 1 2 "Iran's unemployment falls to 10.3 pct -minister". Reuters. 31 March 2008. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
  74. "Iran approves plan to lop three zeros off Rial". Presstv. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
  75. Bakhtiar, Abbas. "Ahmadinejad's Achilles Heel"
  76. "Letter from Tehran, The rationalist" Laura Secor p. 31 The New Yorker, 2 February 2009
  77. "Economics is for donkeys". New Statesman. 11 September 2008. Retrieved 21 June 2009.
  78. "Iranian economists lash out at Ahmadinejad's policies". Daily Star. 16 June 2006. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
  79. "Geopolitics casts pall on hobbled Iranian economy." USA Today. Retrieved 26 January 2008.
  80. Sanati, Kimia. "Ahmadinejad held to election promises". Asia Times. Retrieved 1 February 2008.
  81. Dareini, Ali Akbar. "Iran's Discontent With Ahmadinejad Grows." The Washington Post. Retrieved 28 August 2007.
  82. "Ahmadinejad slammed by outgoing economy minister". AFP. 22 April 2008. Retrieved 21 June 2009.
  83. "Martyrdom would solve Iran's economic woes: Ahmadinejad". AFP. 24 April 2008. Retrieved 21 June 2009.
  84. الف – واردات غیرقانونی بنزین را به دستور رئیسجمهور انجام دادهایم Archived 18 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine.
  85. Leyne, Jon (24 October 2008). "Iran economy facing 'perfect storm'". BBC. Retrieved 21 June 2009.
  86. "Assembly of Experts to study economic reform plan: Rafsanjani". Tehran Times. 23 August 2008. Retrieved 23 August 2008.
  87. "Iran: Debate heats up over restructuring of Management and Planning Organization". Payvand. 18 October 2006. Retrieved 27 April 2009.
  88. "Iran's leader taking over Oil Ministry temporarily, news agency says". CNN. 16 May 2011.
  89. Ahmadinejad calls on Iranian girls to marry at 16, csmonitor.com, Scott Peterson, 22 November 2010
  90. Wright, Robin, Dreams and Shadows : the Future of the Middle East, Penguin Press, 2008, p.321
  91. "Ahmadinejad urges Iranian baby boom to challenge West" The Guardian. Retrieved 3 May 2007.
  92. "Ebadi protests against Iran's polygamy bill". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 21 June 2009.
  93. 1 2 ""Reza's Compassion Fund" project archived". Rooz (in Persian). Archived from the original on 21 October 2006. Retrieved 17 October 2006.
  94. "Video of Imam Reza Love Fund." IranNegah. Retrieved 18 May 2008. Archived 6 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
  95. "World Report 2007" at the Wayback Machine (archived 21 October 2006) Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 26 January 2008.
  96. "" Rajanews. Retrieved 26 January 2008. Archived 7 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine.
  97. "" Rajanews. Retrieved 26 January 2008. Archived 7 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine.
  98. Fathi, Nazila. "Students disrupt speech by Iran chief" New York Times. Retrieved 12 December 2006.
  99. "Ahmadinejad's adviser criticizes hijab enforcement issue." Baztab. Retrieved 23 April 2007. Archived 7 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine.
  100. Ahmad Vahdat (18 January 2012). "HIV created by West to enfeeble third world, claims Mahmoud Ahmadinejad". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
  101. President Ahmadinejad: Gays are ugly and are like thieves Retrieved 28 September 2012
  102. "neYous Social Headline News Aggregator". Neyous.com. Retrieved 2010-09-07.
  103. "Protest against the second cultural revolution." at the Wayback Machine (archived 21 October 2006) Rooz. Retrieved 18 October 2006.
  104. Irani, Hamid. "Cleansing in the Name of Retirement". Retrieved 18 October 2006. Archived 21 October 2006 at the Wayback Machine.
  105. "Khoshchehreh (MP) protests against the unwanted retirement of university professors." at the Wayback Machine (archived 24 February 2012) Aftab News. Retrieved 18 October 2006.
  106. "Different aspects of the unwanted retirement of university professors." at the Wayback Machine (archived 4 October 2006) Aftab News. Retrieved 18 October 2006.
  107. "صدور حکم بازنشستگی برای ۵۳ استاد دانشگاه علم و صنعت، ادوار نيوز" Gooya. Retrieved 26 January 2008.
  108. 1 2 Theodoulou, Michael. "Protesters condemn Holocaust conference.". The Scotsman. Retrieved 2016-02-01.
  109. "President: Students are pioneers of revolutionary movements – Irna". Archived from the original on 2007-09-29.]
  110. :55 (2006-12-12). "Films of yesterday protest in Iran are leaking out « Connections پیوست". Peyvast.blog.com. Archived from the original on 7 May 2008. Retrieved 2009-06-21.
  111. Archived 7 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine.
  112. Archived 7 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine.
  113. "Freedom and Liberty". Ahmadinejad's English Blog. Archived from the original on 2013-04-30.
  114. Nazila Fathi (12 December 2006). "Students disrupt speech by Iran chief". New York Times News Service.
  115. "Ahamadinejad: "We will reach the nuclear energy in near future." BBC News. Retrieved 29 October 2006.
  116. "Ahmadinejad Claims Iran Has 3,000 Centrifuges" Missile Defense Advocacy. Retrieved 4 September 2007. Archived 17 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine.
  117. "Excerpts: Ahmadinejad conference." BBC News. Retrieved 29 October 2006.
  118. 1 2 Goodman, Amy; Gonzalez, Juan (26 September 2008). "Ahmadinejad: Nukes for not politically progressive states". Press TV. Archived from the original on 26 September 2008. Retrieved 26 September 2008.
  119. "Ahmadinejad: Iran can now talk to world from vantage point of a nuclear state." Arabic News. Retrieved 29 October 2006.
  120. "Ahmadinejad: Iran nuke right non-negotiable." UPI. Retrieved 12 June 2006.
  121. Ravid, Barak (12 June 2011). "Sources: UN watchdog hiding evidence on Iran nuclear program.". Haaretz. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
  122. "Nuclear Inspections Are Curbed by Iran." The Washington Post.
  123. "Iran's Nuclear Program." The New York Times.
  124. "Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: 'Nuclear Issue of Iran Is Now Closed'." FOX News.
  125. "Iran Test-Fires Missile With 1,200-Mile Range." The New York Times.
  126. Recknagel, Charles. "Iran: Election Of Ahmadinejad Unlikely To Affect Nuclear Negotiations." Radio Free Europe. Retrieved 29-102006.
  127. "Iran rebukes its prez over N-policy." The Times of India. Retrieved 26 January 2008.
  128. "Ahmadinejad: Nations jealous of nuclear progress". Retrieved 24 February 2008.
  129. "Mousavi: Iran will never halt enrichment". PressTV. 14 April 2009. Archived from the original on 17 April 2009. Retrieved 1 July 2009.
  130. "Iran 'ready for nuclear agreement' – Middle East". Al Jazeera. 29 October 2009. Retrieved 7 September 2010.
  131. "Iran proposes big changes to draft atom deal: report". Reuters. 29 October 2009.
  132. "Iran: Ahmadi-Nejad's Tumultuous Presidency,". International Crisis Group. 6 February 2007. Archived from the original on 9 July 2008. Retrieved 21 June 2009.
  133. "Iran: Rogue trader". Financial Times. 5 June 2014. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
  134. "Iran's President Threatens Crackdown on Christianity" at the Wayback Machine (archived 4 May 2008) CBN News. Retrieved 27 January 2008.
  135. دفاع از اظهارات احمدی‌نژاد عليه مسيحيت و يهود، آفتاب (in Persian). Gooya. 7 June 2007. Retrieved 31 May 2009.
  136. Harrison, Frances. "Iran police move into fashion business". Retrieved 16 April 2007.
  137. "روزنامه هاشمي": بوسه‌ احمدی‌نژاد بر دست معلم سالخورده‌اش، اشكال شرعي دارد!" Ansar News. Retrieved 27 January 2008.
  138. "Ahmadinejad accused of indecency" BBC News. Retrieved 28 January 2008.
  139. Bruno, Greg (11 July 2008). "The Iranian political structure". Iran Times International. Washington DC. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  140. 1 2 Majd, Hooman. The Ayatollah Begs to Differ : The Paradox of Modern Iran, Doubleday, 2008, ISBN 0767928016, p.79
  141. "Iran President Ahmadinejad In Rows With 3 Leading Officials – AFP". Nasdaq. Retrieved 21 June 2009.
  142. "Ahmadinejad Attacks Haddad Adel". Iran Press Service. April 2008. Retrieved 21 June 2009.
  143. "Press TV – Haddad-Adel: Constitution not violated". PressTV. 23 April 2008. Archived from the original on 7 December 2008. Retrieved 21 June 2009.
  144. الف – پاسخ رئیسمجلس به رئیسجمهور Alef Archived 18 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine.
  145. "Statement: Mr Ali Kordan". The University of Oxford. 15 August 2008. Retrieved 17 August 2008.
  146. "سوابق اخلاقي". Rooz online. 14 August 2008. Archived from the original on 22 August 2008. Retrieved 14 August 2008.
  147. "News". Africasia. Archived from the original on 7 December 2008. Retrieved 21 June 2009.
  148. Erdbrink, Thomas (4 November 2008). "Scandal, Fistfight Erupt Over Impeachment Move in Iran". The Washington Post. Retrieved 21 June 2009.
  149. "Iran minister sacked over forgery". BBC News. 4 November 2008. Retrieved 21 June 2009.
  150. "Iran examines missing oil revenue". United Press International. 16 February 2009. Retrieved 23 February 2009.
  151. "Iran looks into missing $1B oil money". PressTV. 5 February 2009. Retrieved 23 February 2009.
  152. High level feud bares tensions in Iran The New York Times, 5 February 2013
  153. "Oil Money Report Rejected". Iran newspaper. 21 February 2009. Retrieved 23 February 2009.
  154. "Majlis searching for $1B missing oil money". Presstv. 15 February 2009. Archived from the original on 8 March 2012. Retrieved 23 February 2009.
  155. 1 2 Is Ahmadinejad on His Way Out? Insdie Iran, 25 May 2011 *articles published on 25 May to multiple popular conservative pro-Khamenei news sites accused the president (Farsi language) of giving $80 dollars per person to as many as 9 million Iranians before the June 2009 elections. Shortly after the publication of these stories, within a matter of hours, the Iranian parliament voted to investigate these allegations (Farsi language). ]
  156. Ayatollah: Iran's president ‘bewitched’ by senior aide, Thomas Erdbrink, The Washington Post, 15 May 2011,
  157. 1 2 Fathi, Nazila (7 January 2008). "Ahmadinejad loses favor with Khamenei, Iran's top leader". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
  158. 1 2 3 Clash Over Mashaei Reveals Fissures Within the Iranian Regime, 04/26/11
  159. Ahmadinejad gets key endorsement as Iran president, China Daily, 4 August 2009
  160. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei backs Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in address at Friday prayers, The Telegraph, Damien McElroy, 19 June 2009
  161. 1 2 3 Spy flap weakens Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, LA Times, 2 May 2011
  162. 1 2 Iran's Ahmadinejad survives worst storm of his presidency The Christian Science Monitor, By Scott Peterson, 9 May 2011
  163. Iran's supreme leader tells Ahmadinejad: accept minister or quit, Saeed Kamali Dehghan, The Guardian, 6 May 2011
  164. Iran's Ahmadinejad affirms Khamenei decision, tensions remain, Thomas Erdbrink, The Washington Post, 8 May 2011
  165. "Iran calls off Ahmadinejad parliament probe." Al Jazeera, 21 November 2012.
  166. "National Post, 'Lost control:' Iran's Ahmadinejad under fire...". 12 March 2013. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  167. "NBC News, Ahmadinejad's scandalous moment with Hugo Chavez's mother". 11 March 2013. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  168. "CNN, Ahmadinejad's hug and the future of Chavez's alliance". 13 March 2013. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  169. "CNN, Ahmadinejad's hug and the future of Chavez's alliance". 13 March 2013. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  170. 1 2 3 "Ahmadinejad's 'Family Justice'". Radio Free Europe. 8 June 2009. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  171. Williams, Carol J. (15 July 2013). "Iran president-elect hints at need for nuclear sanctions relief". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  172. 1 2 Michael Rubin; Ali Alfoneh (10 May 2009). "Iran Presidential Election Round Up". National Review Online. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  173. 1 2 Hannun, Marya (14 May 2013). "Wait, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's brother is running for president of Iran?". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  174. Molavi, Reza; K. Luisa Gandolfo (Winter 2010). "Who Rules Iran?". The Middle East Quarterly. XVII (1): 61–68. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
  175. "Ahmadinejad blames West for AIDS". Associated Press via The Jerusalem Post. 29 July 2008.
  176. 1 2 President Ahmadinejad, Part 2 on YouTube CBS via YouTube
  177. "Iran president says UN sanctions unlikely", CNN, 24 April 2006.
  178. "Ahmadinejad: Israel must be wiped off the map", IRIB News, 26 October 2005.
  179. Nazeela, Fathi. Iran's New President Says Israel 'Must Be Wiped Off the Map', New York Times, 27 October 2005.
  180. "Iran leader's comments attacked". BBC. 2005-10-27. Retrieved 2015-07-22.
  181. Kessler, Glenn (5 October 2011). "Did Ahmadinejad really say Israel should be 'wiped off the map'? Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Google Plus Share via Email More Options Resize Text Print Article Comments 206". Washington post. Retrieved 2015-07-22.
  182. Friedman, Uri (2011-10-05). "Debating Every Last Word of Ahmadinejad's 'Wipe Israel Off the Map'". The Wire. Retrieved 2015-07-22.
  183. Steele, Jonathan. Lost in translation, The Guardian, 14 June 2006.
  184. 1 2 3 Katajun Amirpur, 'Iran's Policy towards Jewish Iranians and the State of Israel. Is the Present Iranian State Islamofascist?,' Die Welt des Islams, BRILL, Vol.52,issue 3/4, 2012 pp.370-399 p.387.
  185. Eric Hooglund, 'Decoding Ahmadinejad's rhetoric on Israel,' Eric Hooglund, Leif Stenberg (eds.) Navigating Contemporary Iran: Challenging Economic, Social and Political Perceptions, Routledge 2013 pp. 198–2014 p. 206.
  186. Israeli Minister Agrees Ahmadinejad Never Said Israel ‘Must Be Wiped Off the Map’
  187. Did Ahmadinejad really say Israel should be ‘wiped off the map’?
  188. 1 2 Reports: Iran fires missile marked with ‘Israel should be wiped’
  189. Israel Calls on U.N. to Punish Iran for Missile Tests
  190. Unthinking the Thinkable: Iran and the Bomb
  191. Iran tests missile capable of reaching Israel
  192. President Calls Zionist Main Terrorist Hub in World at the Wayback Machine (archived 22 July 2015) Access date 2016-07-30. Both this link and the corresponding Farsi page have been removed from the official web site of the Iranian President. The Farsi original has not been re-discovered.
  193. "Diplomats walk out as Ahmadinejad rails against Israel in UN". Haaretz. 2009-09-24.
  194. Namiech, Ophelie (2009-10-02). "How a nice Jewish girl met Iranian madman Mahmoud Ahmadinejad". New York: Nydailynews.com. Retrieved 2010-09-07.
  195. "Ahmadinejad's speech @ Columbia university – a transcript". 25 September 2007. Retrieved 2009-02-02.
  196. "Iranian leader 'not anti-Semite'". BBC. 21 September 2006. Retrieved 2007-04-08. 'Some people think if they accuse me of being anti-Jew they can solve the problem. No, I am not anti-Jew. I respect them very much.'
  197. "UN Scrutiny Won't Make Iran Quit Nuclear Effort, President Says" Naila Fathi, New York Times. 15 January 2006.U.N. Scrutiny Won't Make Iran Quit Nuclear Effort, President Says – New York Times
  198. Middle East peace talks are 'doomed to fail', says Ahmadinejad | World news | guardian.co.uk. Guardian. Retrieved on 2011-02-03.
  199. Iran's Ahmadinejad calls on Palestinians to fight on. Reuters. Retrieved on 2011-02-03.
  200. Jeremy Bowen (2010-09-03). "Mid-East talks doomed, says Iranian leader Ahmadinejad". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2011-06-18.
  201. Video: Ahmadinejad pours scorn on Middle East peace talks. Telegraph (2010-09-03). Retrieved on 2011-02-03.
  202. Iran continues back-and-forth barbs with Palestinians over peace talks – CNN. Articles.cnn.com (2010-09-05). Retrieved on 2011-02-03.
  203. Progress of Middle East peace talks 'a surprise'. The Australian (2010-09-06). Retrieved on 2011-02-03.
  204. "YouTube: Full speech by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at UN". Russia Today. 23 September 2010. Retrieved 24 September 2010.
  205. O'Brien, Michael (2010-09-24). "Iranian leader wants 'fact-finding mission' into causes of 9/11 attacks". The Hill. Retrieved 23 February 2013.
  206. "Barack Obama condemns Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's UN speech". BBC. 2010-09-25. Retrieved 24 September 2010.
  207. In Beirut, Iranian President Ahmadinejad Reiterates 9/11 Conspiracy, Accuses the West in Al-Hariri Assassination The Middle East Media Research Institute. Special Dispatch No.3304. October 18, 2010
  208. Cohen, Dudi."Iranian president questions Holocaust, 9/11." Ynetnews. 25 June 2011. 25 June 2011.
  209. Hanrahan, Mark (2011-09-28). "Al Qaeda Calls On Mahmoud Ahmadinejad To End 'Ridiculous' 9/11 Conspiracy Theories Huffington Post September 28, 2011". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2011-11-21.
  210. Bezhan, Frud. "Ahmadinejad Predicts Chavez Will Return Alongside Jesus, Hidden Imam". March 06, 2013. Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  211. News Tabnak
  212. احمدی نژاد: در سیاست باقی می‌مانم/ دو سال قبل به اردوغان گفتم می‌توان مسئله سوریه را حل کرد
  213. Nasseri, Ladane (29 July 2013). "Iran's Ahmadinejad to Set Up University After Exit From Office". Bloomberg. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
  214. "Ahmadinejad in new appointment". Albawaba. Tehran. FNA. 5 August 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
  215. احمدی نژاد کاندیداتوری اش در انتخابات ریاست جمهوری را رد نکرد / «سال 96 همه همدیگر را خواهیم دید»
  216. سفرهای انتخاباتی احمدی‌نژاد به ایستگاه آخر رسید
  217. سفرهای اخیر احمدی‌نژاد انتخاباتی نیست
  218. Iran's supreme leader tells former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad not to run again
  219. Iran's top leader says Ahmadinejad is too divisive for political comeback
  220. Iran's Supreme Leader Advises Ahmadinejad Not to Run for President
  221. دکتر احمدی نژاد رئیس دولت های نهم و دهم در نامه ای خطاب به مقام معظم رهبری اعلام کرد: برنامه ای برای حضور در عرصه رقابت های انتخاباتی سال آینده ندارم
  222. "ظریف محبوب‌ترین چهره سیاسی ایران". Information and Public Opinion Solutions LLC (in Persian). 24 May 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  223. "Bio: Ahmadinejad". JPost. 16 May 2006. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
  224. Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei: Iran's Next President? Kourosh Rahimkhani PBS 31 March 2011
  225. "A loyal liability". The Majalla. 22 December 2010. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
  226. "Iran's Ahmadinejad Heckled at University". Newsmax. 12 December 2006. Archived from the original on 6 May 2008. Retrieved 18 June 2011.

Further reading

Videos
|-
Political offices
Preceded by
Hossein Taheri
as Governor of East Azerbaijan
Governor of Ardabil
1993–1997
Succeeded by
Hamid Tahayi
Preceded by
Hassan Malekmadani
Mayor of Tehran
2003–2005
Succeeded by
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf
Preceded by
Mohammad Khatami
President of Iran
2005–2013
Succeeded by
Hassan Rouhani
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by
Abdelaziz Bouteflika
Chairperson of the Group of 15
2006–2010
Succeeded by
Mahinda Rajapaksa
Preceded by
Mohamed Morsi
Secretary General of the Non-Aligned Movement
2012–2013
Succeeded by
Hassan Rouhani
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/23/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.