The Iranian Islamic Constitution was approved by a national referendum in December 1979. The concept of vilayet-i faqih (rule of religious jurisprudence) is at the core of this constitution. Soon after Ayatollah Khomeini (1900–1989) rose to...

This article is part of the series: Politics and government...

A week before local council elections were held in Iran, Hojatoleslam Abdullah Nouri, a leading reformer, kicked off his campaign for the Tehran city council by telling university students that only "an Islam of love" could crack the conservative clerical establishment's hold on...

The Islamic Republic of Iran has survived for over two decades. Among other challenges, it has had to overcome a punishing 95-month war with neighboring Iraq, the active hostility of the world's unrivaled superpower, and an internal political and economic situation that has...

Like many Saudi Shiites, Abdullah Abdul-Hussein is worried that if the government does not end anti-Shiite tirades by influential Sunni clerics, the sectarian conflict ravaging Iraq and threatening Lebanon could spread to his country."This rhetoric provokes trouble," said Abdul-Hussein, referring to recent statements from key...

Iran presents a difficult balancing act for those in power in the U.S. _ and those seeking it. For President Bush, condemnation of Tehran's nuclear efforts must now be mixed with diplomacy. U.S. and Iranian ambassadors plan to sit down Monday in Baghdad in a...