The political structure of Iran is the Islamic Republic. The president, the members of the Parliament, the representatives of the City and Village Councils, and members of the Experts Assembly are elected in free elections through public votes. The government has three branches; namely the executive, legislative, and judiciary, each of which functions independently.

• Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution: The highest authority in the Islamic system of Iran is the supreme jurisprudent who determines the general guidelines of the country. The leader must also verify the president after he is elected. The leader is in turn appointed by the Assembly of Experts whose members are elected through public votes. Late Imam Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Revolution, was the first religious and political leader of the Islamic system. The Imam managed to replace the monarchical regime with the popular Islamic Republic system of Feb. 11, 1979. Ayatollah Khomeini was deceased in 1989. After the demise of the Imam, the Assembly of Experts selected Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei as the leader of the Islamic Revolution. Ayatollah Khamenei has maintained this position ever since. He is among the top religious scholars of the Shiite world and the staunchest advocate of the Islamic Revolution. His right hand was seriously injured in a bomb incident while delivering a speech for the poor people of a district in Tehran. According to the Constitution of the republic, the leader supervises the activities of the three branches of the government.
• Assembly of Experts
• Supreme National Security Council
• Expediency Council
• President: The second highest ranking authority in the Islamic system of Iran is the president. He is the head of the executive branch and duty-bound to implement the outlines of the Constitution. The chief executive is elected through direct public votes for a period of four years. He chooses the cabinet members who should in turn win the parliament vote of confidence. Currently, the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran is Dr.Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
• Parliament (Majlis - a.k.a. The Islamic Consultative Assembly): Some 290 Majlis deputies are directly selected by public votes. The tenure of members of the parliament is a period of four years. The president must win the vote of confidence of the parliament for appointing cabinet members.
• Guardian Council: The  Guardian Council was established in a bid to ensure that Majlis ratifications comply with Islamic tenets. The body comprises six jurisprudents appointed by the leader, and six legal experts chosen by the parliament. The tenure of the members of the Council is a period of six years. All Majlis ratifications are monitored by the Guardian Council for a final verification.
• Judiciary
• Constitution: The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran was ratified in Dec. 1979. It has 14 chapters and covers 177 articles. It was revised in 1989 in order to enhance presidential powers and eliminate the post of Prime Minister. The constitution confides Islamic principles of governance in cultural, social, political, and economic facets of life. The majority of people of Iran (98.2 %) voted in favor of the Islamic Republic system in a referendum held in March 1979. Based on Article 6 of the Constitution, state affairs are handled on the basis of public votes.