Conservatism in Iran
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Through Bazaar
Characteristics
Modern Iranian conservatives generally align on the principle of Velayat-e Faqih (Guardianship of the Jurist), which demands absolute loyalty to the Supreme Leader of Iran as the ultimate authority. Beyond this theological foundation, their views can be categorized into several key areas:
Economic views
The economic ideology of Iranian conservatives is often characterized by a tension between supporting the traditional Bazaar merchants and managing the state-aligned foundations known as Bonyad. Historically, the "Traditional Right" has been a staunch defender of private property and free-market principles based on Islamic law, opposing the state-led distributive policies of the left. However, more recent "neoconservative" factions have embraced a "Resistance economy" (egtesad-e moghavemati), which emphasizes self-sufficiency and reducing dependence on international oil markets as a response to foreign sanctions.
Foreign policy
Conservative foreign policy is rooted in Anti-Westernism and the rejection of what they term "Global Arrogance" (Estekbar-e Jahani), primarily represented by the United States. They advocate for a "Look to the East" (Negah be Shargh) strategy, prioritizing strategic and economic ties with powers like China and Russia. Additionally, they remain committed to "exporting the revolution" and supporting the Axis of Resistance, including groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas, as a means of regional deterrence.
Cultural and social views
In the social sphere, conservatives emphasize the preservation of Islamic morality and the protection of the public from "cultural aggression" (tahajom-e farhangi). This includes strict enforcement of mandatory hijab, gender segregation in certain public institutions, and censorship of media deemed un-Islamic. They view the family as the fundamental unit of society and generally oppose liberal reforms concerning women's rights and civil liberties, which they argue are Western impositions designed to erode Iranian-Islamic identity.
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History
Qajar era and Constitutional Revolution
The foundations of modern Iranian conservatism emerged during the late Qajar dynasty, primarily as a reaction to the Persian Constitutional Revolution (1905–1911) and the influx of Western secular ideals. This period saw the crystallization of a religious conservative opposition among the ulama and traditional elites who viewed constitutionalism as a threat to the established social and religious order.
Fazlullah Nouri became the leading figure of this movement. While initially participating in the revolution, he eventually broke with the constitutionalists to advocate for "government based on Islamic law" (Mashru'eh) rather than "constitutionalism" (Mashruteh). Nouri maintained that any legislative body must be subordinate to Sharia, a doctrine that served as a precursor to the 20th-century development of Khomeinism. Concurrently, the Qajar monarchy, particularly under Naser al-Din Shah Qajar, represented an older form of autocratic conservatism. This faction sought to preserve the absolute authority of the throne against both foreign concessions and domestic calls for liberal reform, often relying on the traditional alliance between the monarchy and the religious establishment.
Pahlavi dynasty
The Pahlavi dynasty replaced the Qajar dynasty in 1925 through the abolishment of the Qajar dynasty by the Iranian parliament however Reza shah started his political career by a coup d’état in 1921 , ruling Iran as a de facto Absolute Monarchy from 1925 until 1979 with a brief democratic period after the overthrow of Reza Shah from 1941 until the 1953 coup d'état.
Fascist and neo-Nazi parties are permitted under Mohammad Reza Pahlavi such as the SUMKA (Iran National Socialist Workers Party), whose members frequently engaged in violent brawls with communists and supporters of the liberal-nationalist Prime Minister, Mohammad Mossadegh. They mirrored the German Nazi Party, using the swastika, black uniforms, and the "Heil" salute and promoted a radical form of "Aryan" Persian nationalism and virulently anti-communist.
In an attempt to introduce reform from above while preserving traditional relations of hierarchy, the Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, launched the White Revolution in 1963 as a series of reforms of aggressive modernization, resulting in a great redistribution of wealth from the aristocratic landlord class to Iran's working class and explosive economic growth in subsequent decades.
Islamic Right
The conservative camp after the 1979 Revolution was commonly referred to as the "Islamic Right" (Persian: راست اسلامی, romanized: Rast-e Eslami). During the 1980s and 1990s, this faction was defined by its support for the clerical establishment and its ties to the traditional merchant class of the Bazaar.
The "Traditional Right" within this camp emphasized the enforcement of Sharia law and the protection of private property. They frequently opposed the state-led economic policies and land redistribution programs advocated by the "Islamic Left", who later became the Reformists. Major organizations representing this faction included the Combatant Clergy Association and the Society of Seminary Teachers of Qom. These groups held significant influence over candidate vetting and state policy.
Following the death of Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989, the Islamic Right supported the leadership of Ali Khamenei. While they initially aligned with the presidency of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the faction later split as a rift grew between traditionalists and the more technocratic Executives of Construction Party. The rise of the 2nd of Khordad movement in 1997 eventually led this conservative bloc to reorganize and rebrand itself under the "Principlists" label.
Iranian principlists
The Principlists (Persian: اصولگرایان, romanized: Osul-Garāyān, lit. 'followers of principles') are one of two main political camps in post-revolutionary Iran; the Reformists are the other camp. The term hardliners that some Western sources use in the Iranian political context usually refers to the faction. The faction rejects the status quo internationally, but favors domestic preservation.
Within Iranian politics, "principlist" refers to the conservative supporters of the Supreme Leader of Iran and advocates for protecting the ideological "principles" of the Islamic Revolution's early days. According to Hossein Mousavian, "The Principlists constitute the main right-wing/conservative political movement in Iran. They are more religiously oriented and more closely affiliated with the Qom-based clerical establishment than their moderate and reformist rivals".
A declaration issued by The Two Societies, which serves as the Principlists' "manifesto", focuses upon loyalty to Islam and the Iranian Revolution, obedience to the Supreme Leader of Iran, and devotion to the principle of Velayat-e Faqih.
The Principlists currently dominate the Islamic Consultative Assembly, Assembly of Experts, as well as non-elective institutions such as the Guardian Council, the Expediency Discernment Council, along with the Judiciary.
They held the Presidency until the inauguration of Reformist Masoud Pezeshkian on 30 July 2024.