News-Making Figure of 1394; Selected by the Audience of Radio Farda

"Radio Farda" intends to select the most newsworthy figure of the year for the fifth consecutive year based on audience votes. In this round of selection, over a hundred journalists and news professionals introduced their nominees for the title of "Most Newsworthy Figure of 1394 as chosen by Radio Farda's audience." The result of this survey is a list of ten individuals, which you can read below in alphabetical order. In the first round of this survey held in 1390, Prince Reza Pahlavi, a political activist and son of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, was named the most newsworthy figure of 1390. In the second round in 1391, Radio Farda's audience selected Nasrin Sotoudeh, a lawyer and human rights activist, as the newsmaker of the year. Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, was named the most newsworthy figure in 1392 by Radio Farda's audience. In 1393, the audience again chose Mohammad Javad Zarif for the title for the second consecutive year. You can also participate in this survey and introduce the "Most Newsworthy Figure of 1394" by selecting one from the final list of ten. This list is organized alphabetically: 1. Khatami, Mohammad: Former President of Iran who served from 1376 to 1384. Conservatives refer to him as one of the leaders of the "sedition" and demand his trial. Iranian judicial authorities have reported restrictions on media coverage of Mr. Khatami's news and images. During the parliamentary and Assembly of Experts elections this year, Khatami advised voters to vote for all individuals on both lists of the reformist coalition, which observers say influenced the victory of this list in Tehran. 2. Khomeini, Hassan: Grandson of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, custodian of his grandfather's tomb, and a teacher at Qom seminary. Politically, he is considered close to the reformist camp and was a candidate for the Assembly of Experts elections in 1394. However, his qualifications were ultimately not confirmed by the Guardian Council due to his failure to participate in the scientific exam for Ijtihad confirmation, despite recommendations from some religious authorities and professors at Qom seminary. 3. Rouhani, Hassan: President of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Mr. Rouhani is the first Iranian president to meet with the British Prime Minister after the 57 revolution. He also holds the title of the first Iranian president to have spoken with the President of the United States in 1392. In 1394, Rouhani led a large economic and political delegation to Italy and France to finalize cooperation agreements. After the conclusion of the JCPOA, he called for internal changes centered on economic growth and prosperity. 4. Soleimani, Qassem: Major General and commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, who has played a significant role in military operations abroad, including in Afghanistan, Lebanon, Iraq, and Syria. In 1394, reports of his being killed or injured in Iraq or Syria circulated but were later denied. 5. Zarif, Mohammad Javad: Iran's Foreign Minister who led the Iranian negotiating team with the 5+1 countries. The signing of the nuclear agreement and the implementation of the JCPOA brought Mohammad Javad Zarif into the spotlight as one of the newsmakers of the year. 6. Ghazizadeh Hashemi, Hassan: Minister of Health, Treatment, and Medical Education in the eleventh government. He is an ophthalmologist and a cornea surgery specialist. Ghazizadeh Hashemi is one of the founders of the Jihad Construction Organization and also manages a charity that periodically travels to remote areas of Iran with ophthalmic equipment and doctors to treat eye diseases of residents at no cost. 7. Mesbah Yazdi, Taghi: A cleric and professor of Islamic philosophy. Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi, who manages the Imam Khomeini Educational and Research Institute, is currently one of the representatives of Tehran in the Assembly of Experts. He is referred to as the spiritual father of the Steadfast Front, which includes hardline conservatives close to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. In the recent Assembly of Experts elections, he and Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdi, the head of the Assembly, failed to be re-elected. 8. Motahari, Ali: Representative of Tehran in the Islamic Consultative Assembly and a critic of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Mr. Motahari has made headlines several times due to his protest and critical statements over the years, including regarding the house arrest of leaders of the 88 election protests, and has even clashed with hardline conservatives over these protests and criticisms. Ali Motahari was listed in the reformist coalition for the tenth parliamentary elections, and his qualifications were initially rejected by the central supervisory council but were later confirmed by the Guardian Council after an appeal, allowing him to return to the parliament. 9. Molaverdi, Shahindokht: A lawyer, researcher, and women's rights activist, and the Vice President of Iran for Women and Family Affairs. Her statements and positions have faced opposition and criticism from conservatives. She supported the presence of Iranian women in volleyball stadiums, but her stance faced criticism from the women’s faction in the ninth parliament. Ms. Molaverdi also believes that the marriage law for girls under 15 should be changed. The weekly Yaltesarat al-Hosseini, the organ of Ansar Hezbollah, was shut down by the press supervisory board following insults directed at Shahindokht Molaverdi, the Vice President for Women and Family Affairs in the eleventh government, after a public complaint against the publication. 10. Hashemi Rafsanjani, Akbar: Head of the Expediency Discernment Council and representative of Tehran in the Assembly of Experts. He was a candidate in the Assembly of Experts elections in 1394 and managed to secure over two million three hundred thousand votes to become the first representative from Tehran to re-enter this assembly. In his campaign broadcast on Tehran's provincial network, Hashemi Rafsanjani stated, "The republic and the Islamic nature of the system have weakened."