chapter 1

Article 1 [Form of Government]The form of government of Iran is that of an Islamic Republic, endorsed by the people of Iran onthe basis of their longstanding belief in the sovereignty of truth and Koranic justice, in thereferendum of 29 and 30 March 1979, through the affirmative vote of a majority of 98.2% ofeligible voters, held after the victorious Islamic Revolution led by Imam Khumayni.Article 2 [Foundational Principles]The Islamic Republic is a system based on belief in:1) the One God (as stated in the phrase "There is no god except Allah"), His exclusivesovereignty and right to legislate, and the necessity of submission to His commands; 2) Divine revelation and its fundamental role in setting forth the laws;3) the return to God in the Hereafter, and the constructive role of this belief in the course of man'sascent towards God;4) the justice of God in creation and legislation;5) continuous leadership and perpetual guidance, and its fundamental role in ensuring theuninterrupted process of the revolution of Islam; 6) the exalted dignity and value of man, and hisfreedom coupled with responsibility before God; in which equity, justice, political, economic,social, and cultural independence, and national solidarity are secured by recourse to: a)continuous leadership of the holy persons, possessing necessary qualifications, exercised on thebasis of the Koran and the Sunnah, upon all of whom be peace;b) sciences and arts and the most advanced results of human experience, together with the effortto advance them further;c) negation of all forms of oppression, both the infliction of and the submission to it, and ofdominance, both its imposition and its acceptance.Article 3 [State Goals]In order to attain the objectives specified in Article 2, the government of the Islamic Republic ofIran has the duty of directing all its resources to the following goals: 1) the creation of a favorableenvironment for the growth of moral virtues based on faith and piety and the struggle against allforms of vice and corruption;2) raising the level of public awareness in all areas, through the proper use of the press, massmedia, and other means;3) free education and physical training for everyone at all levels, and the facilitation andexpansion of higher education;4) strengthening the spirit of inquiry, investigation, and innovation in all areas of science,technology, and culture, as well as Islamic studies, by establishing research centers andencouraging researchers;5) the complete elimination of imperialism and the prevention of foreign influence;6) the elimination of all forms of despotism and autocracy and all attempts to monopolize power;7) ensuring political and social freedoms within the framework of the law;8) the participation of the entire people in determining their political, economic, social, andcultural destiny;9) the abolition of all forms of undesirable discrimination and the provision of equitableopportunities for all, in both the material and the intellectual spheres;10) the creation of a correct administrative system and elimination of superfluous governmentorganizations;11) all round strengthening of the foundations of national defence to the utmost degree by meansof universal military training for the sake of safeguarding the independence, territorial integrity,and the Islamic order of the country;12) the planning of a correct and just economic system, in accordance with Islamic criteria, inorder to create welfare, eliminate poverty, and abolish all forms of deprivation with respect tofood, housing, work, health care, and the provision of social insurance for all;13) the attainment of self-sufficiency in scientific, technological, industrial, agricultural, andmilitary domains, and other similar spheres; 14) securing the multifarious rights of all citizens,both women and men, and providing legal protection for all, as well as the equality of all beforethe law;15) the expansion and strengthening of Islamic brotherhood and public cooperation among all thepeople;16) framing the foreign policy of the country on the basis of Islamic criteria, fraternalcommitment to all Muslims, and unsparing support to the freedom fighters of the world.Article 4 [Islamic Principle]All civil, penal financial, economic, administrative, cultural, military, political, and other lawsand regulations must be based on Islamic criteria. This principle applies absolutely and generallyto all articles of the Constitution as well as to all other laws and regulations, and the wise personsof the Guardian Council are judges in this matter.Article 5 [Office of Religious Leader]During the occultation of the Wali al-'Asr (may God hasten his reappearance), the leadership ofthe Ummah devolve upon the just and pious person, who is fully aware of the circumstances ofhis age, courageous, resourceful, and possessed of administrative ability, will assume theresponsibilities of this office in accordance with Article 107.Article 6 [Administration of Affairs]In the Islamic Republic of Iran, the affairs of the country must be administered on the basis ofpublic opinion expressed by the means of elections, including the election of the President, therepresentatives of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, and the members of councils, or by meansof referenda in matters specified in other articles of this Constitution.Article 7 [Consultative Bodies](1) In accordance with the command of the Koran contained in the verse "Their affairs are byconsultations among them" [42:38] and "Consult them in affairs" [3:159], consultative bodies --such as the Islamic Consultative Assembly, the Provincial Councils, and the City, Region,District, and Village Councils and the likes of them -- are the decision-making and administrativeorgans of the country.(2) The nature each of these councils, together with the manner of their formation, theirjurisdiction, and scope of their duties and functions, is determined by the Constitution and lawsderived from it.Article 8 [Community Principle]In the Islamic Republic of Iran, "al-'amr bilma'ruf wa al-nahy 'an al-munkar" is a universal andreciprocal duty that must be fulfilled by the people with respect to one another, by thegovernment with respect to the people, and by the people with respect to the government. Theconditions, limits, and nature of this duty will be specified by law. (This is in accordance with theKoranic verse "The believers, men and women, are guardians of one another; they enjoin thegood and forbid the evil." [9:71])Article 9 [Independence Principle]In the Islamic Republic of Iran, the freedom, independence, unity, and territorial integrity of thecountry are inseparable from one another, and their preservation is the duty of the governmentand all individual citizens. No individual, group, or authority, has the right to infringe in theslightest way upon the political, cultural, economic, and military independence or the territorialintegrity of Iran under the pretext of exercising freedom. Similarly, no authority has the right toIranian Constitution Page 9 of 9abrogate legitimate freedoms, not even by enacting laws and regulations for that purpose, underthe pretext of preserving the independence and territorial integrity of the country.Article 10 [Family Principle]Since the family is the fundamental unit of Islamic society, all laws, regulations, and pertinentprograms must tend to facilitate the formation of a family, and to safeguard its sanctity and thestability of family relations on the basis of the law and the ethics of Islam.Article 11 [Unity of Islam Principle]In accordance with the sacred verse of the Koran "This your community is a single community,and I am your Lord, so worship Me" [21:92], all Muslims form a single nation, and thegovernment of the Islamic Republic of Iran have the duty of formulating its general policies witha view to cultivating the friendship and unity of all Muslim peoples, and it must constantly striveto bring about the political, economic, and cultural unity of the Islamic world.Article 12 [Official Religion]The official religion of Iran is Islam and the Twelver Ja'fari school, and this principle will remaineternally immutable. Other Islamic schools are to be accorded full respect, and their followers arefree to act in accordance with their own jurisprudence in performing their religious rites. Theseschools enjoy official status in matters pertaining to religious education, affairs of personal status(marriage, divorce, inheritance, and wills) and related litigation in courts of law. In regions of thecountry where Muslims following any one of these schools constitute the majority, localregulations, within the bounds of the jurisdiction of local councils, are to be in accordance withthe respective school, without infringing upon the rights of the followers of other schools.Article 13 [Recognized Religious Minorities]Zoroastrian, Jewish, and Christian Iranians are the only recognized religious minorities, who,within the limits of the law, are free to perform their religious rites and ceremonies, and to actaccording to their own canon in matters of personal affairs and religious education.Article 14 [Non-Muslims' Rights]In accordance with the sacred verse "God does not forbid you to deal kindly and justly with thosewho have not fought against you because of your religion and who have not expelled you fromyour homes" [60:8], the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran and all Muslims are dutyboundto treat non-Muslims in conformity with ethical norms and the principles of Islamic justiceand equity, and to respect their human rights. This principle applies to all who refrain fromengaging in conspiracy or activity against Islam and the Islamic Republic of Iran.