Mohammad Khatami

Biography

Mohammad Khatami was born in 1943 in Ardakan in Yazd province, the son of a senior cleric. He took a degree in Western philosophy at Isfahan University, began graduate study at the University of Tehran and then spent seven years training in Islamic sciences at Qom. From 1978 to 1980 he headed the Islamic Centre in Hamburg.

After the revolution he sat in parliament for Ardakan, supervised the Kayhan press institute and served from 1982 to 1992 as Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, resigning in May 1992. He then ran the National Library of Iran until 1997.

Running as a reformer, he won the 1997 presidential election with about 70 percent of the vote on a turnout near 80 percent, and was re-elected in 2001. His presidency brought a freer press and an emphasis on civil society, the rule of law and better relations with Europe; his call for a Dialogue Among Civilizations led the United Nations to name 2001 its year. Conservative bodies outside his control, above all the Guardian Council, blocked much of his programme, including his twin bills on elections and presidential powers.

After leaving office in 2005 he founded institutes promoting intercultural dialogue. He entered the 2009 presidential race but withdrew in favour of Mir-Hossein Mousavi, backed Hassan Rouhani in 2013, and remained a leading voice of Iran's reformists.