Iran: Ali Reza Arafi

Role

Head of Iran’s seminaries

Chairman of Al-Mustafa International University

Head of International Centre for Islamic Sciences

Guardian Council member

A trusted associate of Rahbar (Supreme Leader) Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei, Ayatollah Ali Reza (or Alireza) Arafi has had a prolific career in religious education and clerical circles. As national head of seminaries, he has an influential role in how the next generations of clerics are formed. In this, he is trusted with realising the supreme leader’s vision for the global role of Shiism and the international spread of the regime’s Islamic ideals.