Ahmad Jannati, Jurist and Secretary
Ahmad Jannati: Secretary, Guardian Council
| Name | Ahmad |
| Family name | Jannati |
| Father’s name | Hashem |
| Date of birth | 1926 |
| Date of death | Living |
| Place of birth | Ladan, Isfahan |
| Education | Ijtihad |
| Place of education | Qom Seminary School |
| Type of membership | Jurist |
| Entering year | 1980 |
| Age during entry to council | 54 |
| Duration of presence | 39 years |
| Period | first/second/third/fourth/fifth/ sixth/seventh |
| Post | Secretary |
Ahmad Jannati (احمد جنتی), son of Hashem, was born in 1926 in a village where there was no school. He studied at the Seminary of Isfahan and the Seminary of Qom. In Qom Jannati studied with Ayatollah Khomeini.
Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati may be the only official in the Islamic Republic who has remained in the same position since the beginning of the revolution. He has been a permanent member of the Guardian Council, the Assembly of Experts, the Expediency Council, the Supreme Council for the Cultural Revolution, and the permanent chair of the Coordination Council for Islamic Propaganda.
Ahmad Jannati was one of the less well-known militant scholars operating during the 1960s and 70s. During the time of the shah he was arrested three times by SAVAK (National Organization for Security and Intelligence) and exiled to the Asadabbad district of Hamadan for two years.
When Ayatollah Khamenei came to power as Supreme Leader, Jannati was named secretary of the Guardian Council. Despite his age, Jannati has retained his seat and as recently as July 17, 2019 was selected for one more year as the secretary of the Guardian Council.
With his rise to power in the Guardian Council, opponents and rivals began contradictions in the elections.
Having the overwhelming support of the Supreme Leader emboldened Jannati to censure and remove from the Guardian Council members of the Combatant Clergy and later reformists.
Jannati’s “No favoritism for friend or enemy” policy made him a special favorite of the Supreme Leader. He has been ruthless about disqualifying and dismissing members of the Guardian Council.
For instance, the disqualification of lawyers Reza Zavareie and Hojatol Islam Abbasi Fard showed his commitment to zero tolerance for dissent. The least difference with the Supreme Leader’s interpretation of Islam was not tolerated by Jannati who views that commitment to Islam and Velayat-i-Faqih (Guardianship of the Jurists) is defined by unadulterated obedience the Supreme Leader.
Background:
- Membership in Assembly of Experts in Leadership
- Constitutional Amendment Council of Iran
- Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution
- Expediency Discernment Council
- Islamic Development Overseas Organization
- Qom Seminary Teachers’ Association
- Presidency of Assembly of Experts in Leadership
- Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice and Islamic Development Organization
- Islamic Propagation Coordination Council
- Member and Director of Central Council for Iran’s Supreme Leader Representative Foundation at Universities (IR)
- Representative of the Supreme Leader in the Balkan Affairs and Union of Islamic Associations for Students
- Member and Judge of the Courts of Islamic Revolution of Ahvaz
- Secretary of Guardian Council