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Conservatism in Iran (Persian:محافظهکاری,romanized: Mohāfeze-kāri) can vary in meaning from time to time. Until 1979, "conservative" in Iran meant "Monarchists" or "Royalists" who supportedPahlavi. In modern Iranian discourse, the term "conservative" has been replaced by "Principlists", which refers mainly to those who advocate the principles of the1979 Islamic revolution.
Modern Iranian conservatives generally align on the principle ofVelayat-e Faqih (Guardianship of the Jurist), which demands absolute loyalty to theSupreme Leader of Iran as the ultimate authority.[1] Beyond this theological foundation, their views can be categorized into several key areas:
The economic ideology of Iranian conservatives is often characterized by a tension between supporting the traditionalBazaar merchants and managing the state-aligned foundations known asBonyad. Historically, the "Traditional Right" has been a staunch defender of private property and free-market principles based on Islamic law, opposing the state-led distributive policies of the left.[2] However, more recent "neoconservative" factions have embraced a "Resistance economy" (egtesad-e moghavemati), which emphasizes self-sufficiency and reducing dependence on international oil markets as a response to foreign sanctions.[3]
Conservative foreign policy is rooted inAnti-Westernism and the rejection of what they term "Global Arrogance" (Estekbar-e Jahani), primarily represented by theUnited States.[4] They advocate for a "Look to the East" (Negah be Shargh) strategy, prioritizing strategic and economic ties with powers likeChina andRussia. Additionally, they remain committed to "exporting the revolution" and supporting theAxis of Resistance, including groups such asHezbollah andHamas, as a means of regional deterrence.[5]
In the social sphere, conservatives emphasize the preservation ofIslamic morality and the protection of the public from "cultural aggression" (tahajom-e farhangi). This includes strict enforcement ofmandatory hijab,gender segregation in certain public institutions, andcensorship of media deemed un-Islamic.[6] They view the family as the fundamental unit of society and generally oppose liberal reforms concerningwomen's rights andcivil liberties, which they argue are Western impositions designed to erodeIranian-Islamic identity.[7]
The foundations of modern Iranian conservatism emerged during the lateQajar dynasty, primarily as a reaction to thePersian Constitutional Revolution (1905–1911) and the influx of Western secular ideals. This period saw the crystallization of a religious conservative opposition among theulama and traditional elites who viewed constitutionalism as a threat to the established social and religious order.[8]
Fazlullah Nouri became the leading figure of this movement. While initially participating in the revolution, he eventually broke with the constitutionalists to advocate for "government based on Islamic law" (Mashru'eh) rather than "constitutionalism" (Mashruteh). Nouri maintained that any legislative body must be subordinate toSharia, a doctrine that served as a precursor to the 20th-century development ofKhomeinism.[9] Concurrently, the Qajar monarchy, particularly underNaser al-Din Shah Qajar, represented an older form of autocratic conservatism. This faction sought to preserve the absolute authority of the throne against both foreign concessions and domestic calls for liberal reform, often relying on the traditional alliance between the monarchy and the religious establishment.[10]
ThePahlavi dynasty replaced theQajar dynasty in 1925 after acoup d'état, ruling Iran as aconstitutional monarchy from 1925 until 1953 and then as an autocratic monarchy from the U.S.-instigated1953coup d'état until 1979.[11]
Fascist and neo-Nazi parties are permitted underMohammad Reza Pahlavi such as theSUMKA (Iran National Socialist Workers Party), whose members frequently engaged in violent brawls with communists and supporters of the nationalist Prime Minister,Mohammad Mossadegh. They mirrored theGerman Nazi Party, using the swastika, black uniforms, and the "Heil" salute and promoted a radical form of "Aryan"Persian nationalism and virulentlyanti-communist.[12]
In an attempt to introduce reform from above while preserving traditional relations of hierarchy, theShah,Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, launched theWhite Revolution in 1963 as a series of reforms of aggressive modernization, resulting in a greatredistribution of wealth from the aristocratic landlord class to Iran's working class and explosive economic growth in subsequent decades.[13]
The conservative camp after the1979 Revolution was commonly referred to as the "Islamic Right" (Persian:راست اسلامی,romanized: Rast-e Eslami). During the 1980s and 1990s, this faction was defined by its support for the clerical establishment and its ties to the traditional merchant class of theBazaar.[14]
The "Traditional Right" within this camp emphasized the enforcement ofSharia law and the protection of private property. They frequently opposed the state-led economic policies and land redistribution programs advocated by the "Islamic Left", who later became theReformists.[15] Major organizations representing this faction included theCombatant Clergy Association and the Society of Seminary Teachers of Qom. These groups held significant influence over candidate vetting and state policy.[16]
Following the death ofRuhollah Khomeini in 1989, the Islamic Right supported the leadership ofAli Khamenei. While they initially aligned with the presidency ofAkbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the faction later split as a rift grew between traditionalists and the more technocraticExecutives of Construction Party. The rise of the 2nd of Khordad movement in 1997 eventually led this conservative bloc to reorganize and rebrand itself under the "Principlists" label.[17]
ThePrinciplists (Persian:اصولگرایان,romanized: Osul-Garāyān,lit. 'followers of principles'[17]) are one of two main political camps in post-revolutionary Iran; theReformists are the other camp. The termhardliners that some Western sources use in the Iranian political context usually refers to the faction.[18] The faction rejects thestatus quo internationally,[19] but favors domestic preservation.[20]
Within Iranian politics, "principlist" refers to the conservative supporters of theSupreme Leader of Iran and advocates for protecting the ideological "principles" of the Islamic Revolution's early days.[21] According toHossein Mousavian, "The Principlists constitute the main right-wing/conservative political movement in Iran. They are more religiously oriented and more closely affiliated with theQom-basedclerical establishment than their moderate andreformist rivals".[22]
A declaration issued byThe Two Societies, which serves as the Principlists' "manifesto", focuses upon loyalty toIslam and theIranian Revolution, obedience to the Supreme Leader of Iran, and devotion to the principle ofVelayat-e Faqih.[23]
The Principlists currently dominate theIslamic Consultative Assembly,Assembly of Experts, as well as non-elective institutions such as theGuardian Council, theExpediency Discernment Council, along with theJudiciary.[23]
They held thePresidency until the inauguration of ReformistMasoud Pezeshkian on 30 July 2024.[24]
In Western sources, the term 'hard-liners' is used to refer to the faction under the leadership of Supreme Leader Ali Khamanehi. Members of this group prefer to call themselvesOsul-gara. The wordosul (plural ofasl) means 'fundamentals', or 'principles' or 'tenets', and the verbal suffix-gara means 'those who uphold or promote'. The more radical elements in the hard-line camp prefer to call themselvesOmmat Hezbollah.Ommat is a technical Arabic-Islamic term referring to people who are Muslim.Hezbollah literally means 'Party of Allah'. Before the rise of Ahmadinejad to the presidency in 2005, many official sources in the Islamic Republic referred to this group asmohafezeh-kar ('conservative'). Between 1997 and 2006, many Iranians inside Iran used the termseqtedar-gara ('authoritarian') andtamamiyat-khah ('totalitarian') for what many Western observers have termed 'hard-liners'. Members of the reformist faction of the fundamentalist oligarchy called the hard-linerseqtedar-gara.
