Ahmad Jannati Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati
احمد جنتی
Jannati in 2015

Chairman of the Assembly of Experts
In office 24 May 2016 – 21 May 2024
Supreme Leader	Ali Khamenei
Preceded by	Mohammad Yazdi
Succeeded by	Mohammad-Ali Movahedi Kermani
Member of Expediency Discernment Council
In office 17 March 1997 – 20 September 2022
Appointed by	Ali Khamenei
Chairman	Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani Ali Movahedi-Kermani (acting) Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi Sadeq Larijani
Secretary of the Guardian Council
Incumbent
Assumed office 17 July 1992
Appointed by	Ali Khamenei
Preceded by	Mohammad Mohammadi Gilani
Tehran's Temporary Friday Prayer Imam
In office 3 April 1992 – 11 March 2018
Appointed by	Ali Khamenei
Member of the Assembly of Experts
In office 23 February 1999 – 20 May 2024
Constituency	Tehran Province
Majority	1,321,130 (29.35%)
In office 15 August 1983 – 22 February 1999
Constituency	Khuzestan Province
Member of the Guardian Council
Incumbent
Assumed office 20 February 1980
Appointed by	Ruhollah Khomeini Ali Khamenei

Personal details
Born	(1927-02-23) 23 February 1927 (age 98) Isfahan, Imperial State of Iran
Political party	Combatant Clergy Association Society of Seminary Teachers of Qom
Spouses	Sediqeh Mazaheri (1947–2015; her death) Second spouse (2017–2023)
Children	4, including Ali
Residences	Tehran, Iran
Profession	Politician, cleric

Ahmad Jannati (born 23 February 1927) is an important and powerful politician in Iran. He is known for his conservative views, which means he supports traditional values and religious laws in government. He is also a founding member of the Haghani school, an influential religious school in Iran.

Jannati leads the Guardian Council. This is a very powerful group that checks all laws to make sure they follow the country's constitution and Islamic law, known as sharia. The council also decides who is allowed to run in elections. Because Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, trusts him, Jannati has remained in this powerful role for many years.

Political Career
Jannati's Views
U.S. Sanctions
Personal Life
See also

Political Career

Ahmad Jannati has held some of the most important jobs in Iran's government for a long time. He became a member of the Guardian Council in 1980 and has been its leader since 1992.

In 2016, he also became the chairman of the Assembly of Experts. This group has the very important job of choosing the next Supreme Leader of Iran. He held this position until 2024.

Jannati's Views

Jannati often shares his strong opinions on politics and religion. He has spoken in support of groups like Hezbollah. In 2005, when Iraq was creating a new constitution, he said he was happy that it was based on Islamic ideas.

On Protests

In 2010, after major protests in Iran, Jannati spoke about the people who had been arrested. He said that those who protested against the government should be punished harshly. He believed that being too soft on protestors was wrong according to his interpretation of Islam.

However, Iran's head of the justice system disagreed. He said that the courts should not rush to punish people. He warned that acting too quickly could lead to innocent people being hurt, which is against the law.

On the United States

Jannati has often spoken out against the United States. He has called America an enemy of Iran and believes the two countries disagree on basic principles.

In his speeches, he has used the slogan "Death to America." He has said this is a common chant among the Iranian people and that it shows their strong feelings against the U.S. government. In 2010, he also claimed that most Americans believed their own government was responsible for the 9/11 attacks.

On Hijab

Jannati strongly supports the law in Iran that requires women to wear a hijab (a head covering). He believes this rule must be strictly followed.

In 2010, he criticized Iran's president at the time for not being strict enough about the hijab law. When the president suggested using "cultural programs" instead of police to enforce the rule, Jannati disagreed. He argued that God's law is more important than other concerns and must be enforced.

U.S. Sanctions

In February 2020, the U.S. Treasury Department placed sanctions on Jannati. Sanctions are penalties used by one country to pressure another. The U.S. government said it sanctioned him for his role in preventing free and fair elections in Iran.

Personal Life

Jannati was married to Sediqeh Mazaheri, and they had four sons. After she passed away in 2015, he remarried.

One of his sons, Hossein, was a member of an opposition group called the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran. He was killed by government security forces in 1981. Another son, Ali Jannati, served as Iran's Minister of Culture.

Ahmad Jannati facts for kids

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