Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Due to this presidency, he became the first non-religious cleric president to lead Iran in 24 years. He was born in the village of Aradan in the city of Garmsar as the son of a blacksmith, and holds a PhD in traffic and transport from Tehran’s University of Science and Technology. Before presidency, he also worked as mayor of Tehran, the governor general of Ardabil Province, and also a member of Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution in the Iran–Iraq War. As a mayor, he made many achievements. He placed serious religious emphasis on the activities of the cultural centers by turning them into prayer halls, and he also suggests that the bodies of martyrs of the Iran-Iraq war in major city squares of Tehran. Also he is a critic of the George Bush administration and supports relationship with Russia, Venezuela, Syria, and the Persian Gulf states. He said that Iran’s nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, and he was refused to end nuclear resolutions. During his presidency, he launched a gas rationing plan to reduce the country’s fuel consumption and cut the interest rate for private and public banking facilities. He allowed women into major sporting events for the first time since 1979. He also has a reputation for living a simple life and campaigned against corruption.
