# Expediency Discernment Council

The Expediency Discernment Council of the System (Persian: مجمع تشخیص مصلحت نظام Majma'-e Tašxis-e Maslahat-e Nezâm) is an administrative assembly of Iran appointed by the Supreme Leader and was created upon the revision to the Constitution on 6 February 1988. It was originally set up to resolve differences or conflicts between the Majlis and the Guardian Council, but "its true power lies more in its advisory role to the Supreme Leader." According to Hooman Majd, the Leader "delegated some of his own authority to the council—granting it supervisory powers over all branches of the government" following President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's election in 2005.
Members of the council are chosen by the Supreme Leader every five years.

## History and role

By 1987, the legislative process as well as the country's long-term policy formation had come to a standstill due to the doctrinal conflict between radical factions of the Islamic Consultative Assembly and the Guardian Council, which officials described as coercive at the time. Consultations in February the following year led to Ayatollah Khomeini ordering the appointment of a 13-member council that was given legislative authority: it could pass temporary laws (effective for three-year periods). Article 112 of Iran's Constitution states the EDC will be convened by the Supreme Leader to determine expedience cases where the Guardian Council finds an Islamic Consultative Assembly decision against the principles of religious law or the constitution, and where the Consultative Assembly is unable to satisfy the Guardian Council in view of the expedience of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Formally, the Expediency Discernment Council of the System (or Regime) is primarily a constitutional advisory body for the Supreme Leader (at the latter's behest), as described in article 112 of the Islamic Republic's Constitution. It is meant to "discern the interests of the Islamic Republic" by resolving internal regime conflicts. The Council consisted of thirteen members when originally convened, and included six clergy members (appointed by the Supreme Leader), six public officials (President, Prime Minister, Majles Speaker, Supreme Court Chief Justice, Prosecutor General, and a Supreme Leader representative), as well as the Majles member whose legislation was overturned. The EDC Chairman is appointed every five years by the Supreme Leader. Even though the Supreme Leader is a member of the Council itself (and it being his advisory council), he can deputize the Council. Nine years later, in 1997, Khamenei expanded its membership to thirty-four, twenty-five of whom were thence appointed for five-year terms. During February 2007, a new Council was formed, with twenty-seven members being directly chosen by the Supreme Leader this time.
As stated by article 111, if the position of Supreme Leader is undeclared for whatever reason, a council composed of President, head of the Judiciary, and one of the jurisconsults of the Guardian Council chosen by the EDC shall discharge his functions collectively and temporarily. If any of them is unable to discharge his duties, another person shall be appointed by the EDC in his place. The Council also resolves disputes that concern the Guardian Council and the Majles. Domestic and foreign policies of the regime are determined only after consultation with the Expediency Council, according to article 110 of the Constitution (with oversight of the Supreme Leader). The Expediency Council is only meant to act on behalf of the legislative branch, although in reality it intercedes as a mediator between all bureaucratic branches, including the executive. If ratification of the Consultative Assembly is not confirmed by the Guardian Council (and deputies insist on implementing the ratification), the EDC can intervene to make a decision. The Expediency Discernment Council can advise the faghih on policy and strategy (in accordance to article 111 of the Constitution), and despite not being part of the legislative branch, it can remove parliamentary powers. As an example of this, in April 2000 it removed from parliamentary capacity the faculty to investigate institutions under the control of the Supreme Leader, such as the Pasdaran and the Council of the Guardians. In practice, its composition almost guarantees its rulings mirror the legal opinion the Guardian Council, and more importantly, the Supreme Leader's. Being dominated by conservative ulama, this has furthered the faction's grip over Iran.
During August 2001, the Council was convened by the Supreme Leader to resolve the dispute between the Judiciary and the Assembly. The latter was dominated by reformers, while the former was dominated by conservatives, so the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei wanted the EDC to settle this political confrontation. The confrontation referred to the parliament's rejection to approve conservative candidates' appointments to the Guardian Council. Conservatives did not want to lose control of the Guardian Council, dreading president Mohammad Khatami and reformist allies would push through political and social reforms. Members of the Council are generally ayatollahs and hojatoleslams (a step before ayatollah). In 2005, the capacity of the Council to act as a government supervisory body was supplemented to its powers. The EDC's influence grew when cleric Hashemi Rafsanjani joined it.

## Members
### Current members (2022–Present)

Natural personalities :
| # | Name |
| 1 | Sadeq Larijani (Chairman) |
| 2 | Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr (Secretary) |
| 3 | Gholam Reza Aghazadeh |
| 4 | Ali Agha-Mohammadi |
| 5 | Ali Akbar Ahmadian |
| 6 | Mahmoud Ahmadinejad |
| 7 | Mohsen Araki |
| 8 | Majid Ansari |
| 9 | Mohammad-Javad Iravani |
| 10 | Mohammad-Reza Bahonar |
| 11 | Ahmad Tavakkoli |
| 12 | Saeed Jalili |
| 13 | Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel |
| 14 | Kamal Kharazi |
| 15 | Davoud Danesh-Jafari |
| 16 | Parviz Davoodi (until 2024) |
| 16 | Vacant |
| 17 | Ghorbanali Dorri-Najafabadi |
| 18 | Mohsen Rezaee |
| 19 | Hassan Sane'i (until 2023) |
| 19 | RADM Ali Shamkhani (from 2023) |
| 20 | Mohammad Sadr |
| 21 | Hossein Saffar Harandi |
| 22 | Mohammad Reza Aref |
| 23 | Mohammad Forouzandeh |
| 24 | Abbas-Ali Kadkhodaei |
| 25 | Ali Larijani |
| 26 | Hossein Mohammadi |
| 27 | Mahmoud Mohammadi Araghi |
| 28 | Mohammad Mokhber |
| 29 | Gholamreza Mesbahi-Moghaddam |
| 30 | Hossein Mozaffar |
| 31 | Mostafa Mir-Salim |
| 32 | Morteza Nabavi |
| 33 | Ali Akbar Velayati |
| 34 | Sadegh Vaez-Zadeh |
| 35 | Ahmad Vahidi |
Ex officio members :
| # | Office | Name |
| 1 | President | Ebrahim Raisi (until May 2024) |
| 1 | President | Mohammad Mokhber (acting) (from May 2024 until July 2024) |
| 1 | President | Masoud Pezeshkian (from July 2024) |
| 2 | Parliament Speaker | Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf |
| 3 | Chief Justice of Iran | Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i |
| 4 | Chief-of-Staff | MG Mohammad Bagheri |
| 5 | SNSC Secretary | RADM Ali Shamkhani (until 2023) |
| 5 | SNSC Secretary | Ali Akbar Ahmadian (from 2023) |
| 6 | Guardian Council Jurisprudents (only for dispute cases between Parliament and Guardian Council) | Ahmad Jannati |
| 7 | Guardian Council Jurisprudents (only for dispute cases between Parliament and Guardian Council) | Mehdi Shabzendedar |
| 8 | Guardian Council Jurisprudents (only for dispute cases between Parliament and Guardian Council) | Ahmad Hosseini Khorasani |
| 9 | Guardian Council Jurisprudents (only for dispute cases between Parliament and Guardian Council) | Mohammad-Reza Modarresi Yazdi |
| 10 | Guardian Council Jurisprudents (only for dispute cases between Parliament and Guardian Council) | Ahmad Khatami |
| 11 | Guardian Council Jurisprudents (only for dispute cases between Parliament and Guardian Council) | Alireza Arafi |
| 12 | The Administration, which is being discussed in Council | Minister or Head Office of it |
| 13 | The Parliament Commission related to discussion in Council | Head of Commission |

### Historic membership
#### Eighth council (2017–2022)

Natural personalities :
| # | Name |
| 1 | Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi (Chairman until 2018) |
| 1 | Sadeq Larijani (Chairman from 2018) |
| 2 | Mohsen Rezaee (Secretary until 2021) |
| 2 | Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr (Secretary from 2021) |
| 3 | Ahmad Jannati |
| 4 | Ebrahim Amini (until 2020) |
| 4 | Vacant |
| 5 | Ali Movahedi-Kermani |
| 6 | Ali Akbar Nategh Nouri |
| 7 | Hassan Sane'i |
| 8 | Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i (until 2021) |
| 8 | Vacant |
| 9 | Mohsen Mojtahed Shabestari (until 2021) |
| 9 | Vacant |
| 10 | Ebrahim Raisi (until 2019) |
| 10 | Vacant |
| 11 | Ghorbanali Dorri-Najafabadi |
| 12 | Mahmoud Mohammadi Araghi |
| 13 | Majid Ansari |
| 14 | Gholamreza Mesbahi-Moghadam |
| 15 | Gholam Reza Aghazadeh |
| 16 | Ali Agha-Mohammadi |
| 17 | Mahmoud Ahmadinejad |
| 18 | Mohammad-Javad Iravani |
| 19 | Mohammad Reza Bahonar |
| 20 | Ahmad Tavakoli |
| 21 | Saeed Jalili |
| 22 | Gholam Ali Haddad-Adel |
| 23 | Davoud Danesh Jafari |
| 24 | Parviz Davoudi |
| 25 | Mohammad Sadr |
| 26 | BG Hossein Saffar Harandi |
| 27 | Mohammad Reza Aref |
| 28 | Mohammad Forouzandeh |
| 29 | MG Hassan Firouzabadi (until 2021) |
| 29 | Vacant |
| 30 | Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (until 2020) |
| 30 | Ali Larijani (from 2020) |
| 31 | Hossein Mohammadi |
| 32 | Hossein Mozaffar |
| 33 | Mostafa Mir-Salim |
| 34 | Mohammad Mirmohammadi (until 2020) |
| 34 | Vacant |
| 35 | Morteza Nabavi |
| 36 | Ali Akbar Velayati |
| 37 | BG Ahmad Vahidi |
| 38 | Sadegh Vaez-Zadeh |
Ex officio members :
| # | Office | Name |
| 1 | President | Hassan Rouhani (until 2021) |
| 1 | President | Ebrahim Raisi (from 2021) |
| 2 | Parliament Speaker | Ali Larijani (until 2020) |
| 2 | Parliament Speaker | Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (from 2020) |
| 3 | Chief Justice of Iran | Sadeq Larijani (until 2019) |
| 3 | Chief Justice of Iran | Ebrahim Raisi (from 2019 until 2021) |
| 3 | Chief Justice of Iran | Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ezhe'i (from 2021) |
| 4 | Chief-of-Staff | MG Mohammad Bagheri |
| 5 | SNSC Secretary | RADM Ali Shamkhani |
| 6 | Guardian Council Jurisprudents | Mohammad Momen (until 2019) |
| 6 | Guardian Council Jurisprudents | Alireza Arafi (from 2019) |
| 7 | Guardian Council Jurisprudents | Mohammad-Reza Modarresi Yazdi |
| 8 | Guardian Council Jurisprudents | Mehdi Shabzendedar |
| 9 | Guardian Council Jurisprudents | Mohammad Yazdi (until 2020) |
| 9 | Guardian Council Jurisprudents | Ahmad Khatami (from 2020) |
| 10 | Guardian Council Jurisprudents | Ahmad Hosseini Khorasani (from 2021) |
| 11 | The administration concerned depending on the subject under discussion | Minister or Head Office of it |
| 12 | The parliament commission concerned depending on the subject under discussion | Head of Commission |

#### Seventh council (2012–2017)

On 14 March 2012, a new council was appointed for a five-year period. Eight months before the end of the council, chairman Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani dies and Ali Movahedi-Kermani became interim chairman until the end of the council period.

#### Sixth council (2007–2012)

The following is a list of its members of the years (2007-2012):
* Hashemi Rafsanjani, Akbar, Ayatollah (Chairman of the Council) *
* Mohsen Rezaee, PhD* (Secretary General)
* Jannati, Ahmad, Ayatollah *
* Vaez Tabasi, Abbas, Ayatollah *
* Amini Najafabadi, Ebrahim, Ayatollah *
* Haddad-Adel, Gholam Ali, PhD *
* Emami Kashani, Mohammad, Ayatollah *
* Movahedi-Kermani, Ali, Ayatollah *
* Habibi, Hassan Ebrahim, PhD *
* Mousavi, Mir Hossein MSc *
* Velayati, Ali Akbar, MD *
* Dorri Najafabadi, Ghorbanali, Ayatollah *
* Mohammadi Reyshahri, Mohammad, Hojatoleslam *
* Sane'i, Hassan, Hojatoleslam *
* Rouhani, Hassan, Hojatoleslam, PhD *
* Asgar Owladi, Habibollah *
* Larijani, Ali, PhD *
* Bahonar, Mohammad Reza
* Tavassoli Mahallati, Mohammad Reza, Ayatollah *
* Mirsalim, Mostafa *
* Nabavi, Morteza *
* Ali Akbar Nategh-Nouri, Hojatoleslam *
* Firouzabadi, Hassan, Major General *
* Aghazadeh, Gholam Reza *
* Namdar Zanganeh, Bijan *
* Ali Agha-Mohammadi
* Mohammad Forouzandeh
* Davoud Danesh-Jafari
* Majid Ansari
* Hossein Mozaffar
* Mohammad Javad Irvani
* Mohammad Reza Aref
* Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i
* Mohammad Hashemi Rafsanjani
* Parviz Davoodi
Ex officio members:
* President
* Speaker of Majles
* Chief of the Judiciary
* The minister concerned depending on the subject under discussion
* The representative of Majlis commission concerning the subject discussed
* If mediating between Majlis and Guardian Council, the council will also include the six clerics of the Guardian Council.

#### Fifth council (2002–2007)

The following is a list of its members of the years 2002-2007.
* Hashemi Rafsanjani, Akbar, Ayatollah (Chairman) *
* Amini Najafabadi, Ibrahim, Ayatollah *
* Vaez Tabasi, Abbas, Hojatoleslam *
* Emami Kashani, Mohammad, Ayatollah *
* Mousavi, Mir Hussein *
* Velayati, Ali Akbar *
* Mohammadi Reyshahri, Mohammad, Hojatoleslam *
* Sane'i, Hassan, Hojatoleslam *
* Rouhani, Hassan, Hojatoleslam, PhD *
* Asgar Owladi, Habibollah *
* Dorri Najafabadi, Qorbanali, Hojatoleslam *
* Larijani, Ali *
* Mirsalim, Mostafa *
* Tavassoli Mahallati, Mohammadreza, Ayatollah *
* Nabavi, Morteza *
* Firouzabadi, Hassan, Major General *
* Aqazadeh, Gholamreza *
* Namdar Zanganeh, Bijan *
* Rafsanjani, Mohammad Hashemi *
* Habibi, Hassan Ibrahim *
* Mohsen Rezaee * (Secretary General of the Council)
* Ahmad Jannati
* Ali Movahedi-Kermani
* Ali Akbar Nategh-Nouri
* Mohammad Reza Aref
* Gholam Ali Haddad-Adel
* Majid Ansari
* Mohammad Reza Bahonar
* Hossein Mozaffar
* Mohammad Javad Irvani
* Mehdi Karroubi (appointed at 2004)
    (*) Re-appointed
Ex officio members:
* President
* Speaker of Majles
* Chief of the Judiciary
* The minister concerned depending on the subject under discussion
* The representative of Majlis commission concerning the subject discussed
* If mediating between Majlis and Guardian Council, the council will also include the six clerics of the Guardian Council.

#### Fourth council (1997–2002)

The following is a list of its members of the years 1997-2002.

#### Third council (1992–1997)

The following is a list of its members of the years 1992–1997.

#### Second council (1989–1992)

The following is a list of its members of the years 1989-1992.

#### First council (February 6, 1988–1989)

The following is a list of its members of the year 1988-1989.

## Chairpersons

Colour key:
* Combatant Clergy Association
* Society of Seminary Teachers of Qom
| № | Chairperson | Chairperson | Tenure | Tenure | Supreme Leader |
| № | Name | Picture | Took office | Left Office | Supreme Leader |
| 1 | Ali Khamenei | | 7 February 1988 | 4 June 1989 | Ruhollah Khomeini |
| 2 | Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani | | 4 October 1989 | 8 January 2017 (died in office) | Ali Khamenei |
| — | Ali Movahedi-Kermani(Acting) | | 1 February 2017 | 14 August 2017 | Ali Khamenei |
| 3 | Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi | | 14 August 2017 | 24 December 2018 (died in office) | Ali Khamenei |
| — | Ali Movahedi-Kermani(Acting) | | 29 December 2018 | 30 December 2018 | Ali Khamenei |
| 4 | Sadeq Larijani | | 30 December 2018 | Incumbent | Ali Khamenei |