This researched draft has not yet received final editorial approval.
Research cutoff: · Updated:The executive’s remit
Article 60 assigns executive functions to the president and ministers, excluding matters constitutionally reserved to the Leadership. Article 113 places the president below the Leadership in the official hierarchy. These provisions define an executive with significant administrative responsibilities but a bounded jurisdiction. s1
The president’s responsibilities include national planning, the budget, and state employment affairs, although their administration can be delegated. This makes the presidency important to the organization of government even where it does not control the state’s ultimate strategic direction. s1
[s1]From appointments to administrative action
Ministers are appointed by the president and presented to parliament for approval. They answer to both institutions for their responsibilities; cabinet decisions also carry collective responsibility. The executive therefore depends on relationships across institutional boundaries when assembling and maintaining its ministerial team. s2
Administration also requires rules below the level of parliamentary legislation. GlobaLex’s legal-system overview explains that individual ministers and the Council of Ministers can issue administrative regulations to implement laws. This distinction separates a statute adopted through the legislative process from the executive measures used to put it into effect. s2
[s2]Selected executive relationships
The arrows distinguish appointment, parliamentary confidence, accountability, and regulation-making. This is a selection of relationships, not a complete map of executive authority.
[s2]Representing the state
Executive responsibilities extend to international representation. The president signs international agreements after the required parliamentary approval, while ambassadors are appointed on the foreign minister’s recommendation with presidential approval. These procedures illustrate how diplomacy combines executive action with other institutions’ roles. s1
GlobaLex also identifies promulgating legislation and arranging its implementation among presidential duties. The president’s signature at this stage should therefore be understood within the legally prescribed implementation process. s2
[s1] [s2]Administrative responsibility and political constraints
The Council on Foreign Relations describes presidential policymaking as operating within parameters set by the Supreme Leader. Freedom House’s assessment similarly places ultimate power with the Leader and institutions under that office’s control. These independent accounts distinguish the executive’s visible administrative role from comprehensive control over the state. s3s4
The BTI 2026 report goes further, arguing that institutional constraints and a limited independent political base restricted presidential influence during its assessment period. That finding is an evaluation of political leverage, rather than a claim that ministries have no responsibilities. Assessing an executive initiative consequently requires examining both its formal mandate and evidence of its implementation. s5
[s3] [s4] [s5]Sources & research notes
- [s1] Iran (Islamic Republic of) 1979 (rev. 1989)Constitute Project · Articles 60, 113, 125, 126 and 128 · Accessed 2026-10-27
- [s2] An Overview of Iranian Legal System and ResearchGlobaLex, Hauser Global Law School Program, New York University School of Law · The Executive Power; The President; Ministries. Publication identified as June/July 2013. · Accessed 2026-10-27
- [s3] The Islamic Republic of Iran’s Power CentersCouncil on Foreign Relations · Structure of the Iranian Regime: presidential responsibilities · Accessed 2026-10-27
- [s4] Iran: Freedom in the World 2026Freedom House · Overview; Political Rights, A1 · Accessed 2026-10-27
- [s5] Iran Country Report 2026Bertelsmann Stiftung · Executive Summary · Accessed 2026-10-27
limitations
- This is an institutional explanation, not an inventory of current ministers, agencies, or emergency arrangements.
- The 2013 GlobaLex overview is used for constitutional mechanisms, not its historical officeholder descriptions.
- Sources were inspected on 2026-10-27; evidence concerning developments after the editorial cutoff is excluded.
data gaps
- No consistent annual series directly measuring executive authority or administrative performance was established. Budget amounts and governance scores would measure different subjects and are not substituted.
coverage period
Constitutional executive responsibilities under the 1989 revision, supplemented by institutional assessments available before the editorial cutoff.