When Iran appointed Hossein Dehghan as its new national security and intelligence chief, the regime moved from one doctorate-holder to another. Dehghan has a PhD in public administration, succeeding Ali Larijani who held a PhD in Western philosophy.
The Islamic Republic has a striking number of people with advanced university degrees across its presidents, foreign ministers, military commanders, and senior officials.
Some earned their PhDs in the UK and US, while many got their degrees from Tehran University or institutions built specifically for the purpose.
Their subjects range from 18th-century German philosopher Immanuel Kant to Islamic jurisprudence to international self-defence doctrine.
Iran's current foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, has a British PhD in Politics and Government from the University of Kent, while Mohammad Javad Zarif earned his PhD in International Studies from the University of Denver in the US.
Hassan Rouhani, Iran's President from 2013 to 2021, pursued his doctorate in Scotland, with a thesis titled 'The Flexibility of Shariah (Islamic Law) with reference to the Iranian Experience.'
Scholars point to decisions taken at the Islamic Republic's founding as the reason for the accumulation of doctoral degrees across Iran's leadership.
