Background
Hassan Rouhani was born Hassan Feridon on November 12, 1948, in Sorkheh, Iran. His family was opposed to the Shah, thus exposing him to national political concerns at an early age.
Rouhani after being elected as a member of the parliament.
Rouhani casting his vote in the 2016 elections.
Rouhani designated Mohammad Javad Zarif (left), an experienced Iranian diplomat, as foreign minister.
Rouhani during a visit of Semnan.
Rouhani meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Tehran during the Third GECF summit, 22 November 2015.
Rouhani shaking hands with Ebrahim Raisi at the Assembly of Experts.
Rouhani speaking after a cabinet meeting.
Rouhani with First Vice President, Eshaq Jahangiri, after a cabinet meeting.
Rouhani, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Russia, 22 November 2017.
lawyer politician president cleric
Hassan Rouhani was born Hassan Feridon on November 12, 1948, in Sorkheh, Iran. His family was opposed to the Shah, thus exposing him to national political concerns at an early age.
Rouhani enrolled at the University of Tehran in 1969 and graduated three years later with his bachelor's degree in judicial law. He went back to school in the '90s, earning his master’s degree and Ph.D. from Glasgow Caledonian University in Scotland.
After receiving his undergraduate degree, Rouhani traveled across Iran to voice his opposition to the Shah and his support for the exiled cleric Ruhollah Khomeini.
In 1973 he joined military service in Nishapur.
Forced to flee the country in 1977, he joined Khomeini in Paris and spoke to student groups across Europe. After the 1979 Iranian Revolution, Rouhani returned to Iran with Khomeini to rebuild the government.
For the first two terms he remained the chief of the committee of Defense. In the fourth and fifth terms he served as the Deputy Speaker as well as the chief of the foreign policy committee.
From 1980-83 he headed the supervisory council of ‘Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting’.
He held various positions at the time of the Iran-Iraq war.
In 1983-85 he served as deputy commander of the war, from 1985 to 1988 he was the commander of the Khatam-ol-Anbiya Operation Center and during 1986-91 he was the commander of the Iran Air Defense Force. In 1988-89, he remained Deputy to Second-in-Command of Joint Chiefs of Staff of Iran.
From 1986 to 1988 he remained a member of the ‘High Council for Supporting War’ and led the ‘Executive Committee’ of the Council.
The ‘Iran-Contra affair’ that involved selling arms to Iran, saw Robert C. McFarlane, ‘National Security Advisor’ of the then American President Ronald Reagan visiting Tehran in May 1986. Rouhani was among the three Iranians to participate in discussions with McFarlane.
His contributions during the Iran-Iraq war were well recognized and he was awarded with the second grade ‘Fath Medal’ and the first grade ‘Nasr Medal’.
In 1989 he became the first secretary of the ‘Supreme National Security Council’ and held the position till 2005. As a Secretary of the ‘Supreme National Security Council’ he played an instrumental role from October 6, 2003 till August 15, 2005 as one of the prominent negotiators of Iran, on issues of nuclear technology, with Germany, France and the UK. The negotiations were held in Tehran, Paris, Geneva and Brussels.
From 1989 until 1997 he served as the ‘National Security Advisor’ to President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.
Since 1991 he runs the ‘Center for Strategic Research’ and serves as its research professor. He has written several books and articles in Arabic, Persian and English language.
After about two decades he returned to his academic studies and earned an M.Phil. in Law in 1995 from the ‘Glasgow Caledonian University’ in Scotland submitting his thesis ‘‘The Islamic legislative power with reference to the Iranian experience’’.
From 2000 to 2005 he served as the ‘National Security Advisor’ to President Khatami.
Rouhani began his presidency in November 2013 with approval and disapproval ratings near 58% and 27% respectively, according to Information and Public Opinion Solutions LLC (iPOS) which is assessing it on a quarterly basis. It gradually fell down to 48% and he recorded a 33% disapproval rating in May 2015. His job approval boosted after Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, according to the survey conducted by IranPoll for the University of Maryland's Center for International and Security Studies (CISSM), standing on 88% with a large majority (61%) expressing a "very favorable view" of him (up from 51% in July 2014) and a ±3.2 margin of sampling error.
The poll also indicated Rouhani has a "tough challenge" in maintaining the support due to the fact that people have high economic expectations from the deal, and it could become his Achilles' heel. iPOS has recorded a 54% approval and 24% disapproval, days after the deal in August 2015. The trend has continued until February 2016, with 67% and 18% approval and disapproval ratings, marking the highest level since he took office.
He began studying religion as a youth and attended religious seminaries in the 1960s, learning from prominent Shia scholars; eventually, he took the surname Rouhani, which means "community of clerics."
Rouhani is a cleric. His religious title is Hojatoleslam, which is a middle rank in the religious hierarchy.
He has made effort to revive diplomatic association of Iran with other nations and in this endeavor sent conciliatory letters to heads of six countries including the US President.
Following his meeting with the British Prime Minister David Cameron, the two nations accorded to resume diplomatic ties. While the ‘Iranian Embassy’ in London’ was restored in February 20, 2014, it was officially reopened on August 23, 2015.
He visited New York, US in September 2013 and had a one on one telephonic conversation with the US President Barack Obama on September 27, 2013. It was the first conversation of politicians of the highest-level between the two nations since 1979.
His government signed many agreements with Iraq and was the first to extend support after the ‘Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant’ (ISIL) and associated forces initiated the ‘Northern Iraq offensive’ against Iraq government. Iran played a prominent role during the military intrusion to combat the ISIL.
He was elected as president with heavy reformist support, and he pledged to follow through with reformist demands and to bridge divides between reformists and conservatives.
During the 2017 presidential election, Rouhani's views moved more to the left and he fully aligned with the reformist faction.
He is a proponent of rights of women and his regime has witnessed induction of three women vice presidents namely Shahindokht Molaverdi, Masoumeh Ebtekar and Elham Aminzadeh. Marzieh Afkham remains the first foreign ministry spokesperson of Iran under his government. He is also committed to establish a ministry for women.
On the economic front he focuses on controlling inflation, curbing high unemployment and enhancing purchasing power.
In 1980 he became an elected member of the ‘Majlis’ (Parliament) of Iran. For the next two decades, he held different positions in the ‘Majlis’.
He was a ‘Supreme Defense Council’ member from 1982 to 1988.
He has remained a member of the ‘Expediency Council’ since 1991 and serves as the chief of the Political, Defense, and Security Committee of the Council.
He remained a member of the board of trustees of the Tehran Universities and North Region from 1995 to 1999.
He became an elected member of the ‘Assembly of Experts’ representing Semnan Province during its midterm elections held on February 18, 2000. Again in 2006 he was elected member of the ‘Assembly of Experts’ this time representing Tehran Province, a position he still holds.
Rouhani is considered to be a moderate and pragmatic politician. In 2000, the Washington Institute for Near East Policy described him as "power-hungry".
Rouhani married his cousin, Sahebeh Erabi (Rouhani), who is six years younger, when he was around 20 years old and has four children (one son and three daughters). Rouhani's wife changed her last name from "Еrabi" to "Rouhani" sometime after marriage. Born in 1954, she is not politically active. The Guardian and the Financial Times reported that Rouhani also had a fifth child, a son who has died in unknown circumstances. Based on a comment by Alireza Nourizadeh, some sources reported that he committed suicide "in protest of his father's close connection with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei".
Rouhani has three sisters and a brother. Rouhani's brother, Hossein Fereydoun, is also a diplomat and politician, a former governor, ambassador, and former Vice Minister of Intelligence. He was Rouhani's representative to IRIB in arrangements for presidential debates. Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, in a memoir dated 15 May 1982, mentions Hossein Fereydoun as the then governor of Karaj.