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Abstract

nullThe president and supreme leader of Islamic Republic of Iran are among the most identifiable figures of the Iranian regime, and represent two institutions highly consequential for Iranian policy-making. This work is an investigation of the development and interaction of these institutions from the creation of the Islamic Republic in 1979, as well as a comparison of the presidential tenures since 1989. It focuses on substantial effects on Iranian policy which result from formal changes to the institutions as well as their roles in Iranian politics.An examination of events shows that interaction between the two institutions do not have a significant impact on Iranian policy, which is singularly determined by the supreme leader, who is the most powerful actor in the regime. The president does, however have the ability to shape the country's economic, civil and cultural development, but this is highly dependent on the acquiescence of the Supreme Leader. Competition between the two institutions, when it occurs, is representative of factional struggles to determine the regime's survival strategy, which dictates its orientation between preservation of the establishment's interests on one side and change and development on the other