Mohammad Reza Aref

Mohammad Reza Aref's career is marked by his dual expertise in engineering and governance. He is one of the few Iranian politicians with a PhD from Stanford University, and his academic work in electrical engineering has been published in scholarly journals. His political career includes two tenures as First Vice President, a role in which he has shaped Iran's telecommunications policy and, more recently, its national security posture. Aref's strategic withdrawal from the 2013 presidential election helped consolidate the reformist vote, contributing to Hassan Rouhani's victory. His long-standing membership in the Expediency Discernment Council underscores his influence in Iran's governance structure.