President Mohammad-Ali Rajai; From Sarvan and Zabul to New York

Rajai was loyal to prominent clerics like Ayatollah Mohammad Beheshti and Mohammad-Javad Bahonar, who were both founding members of the IRP. He appointed Bahonar prime minister two days after assuming the presidency. But in the wake of the dispute that led to Banisadr’s impeachment, the presidency was now understood to be a ceremonial role and, unlike Bahonar, Rajai was not an influential in his own right.