Mahmoud Alavi

Mahmoud Alavi served as Iran's Minister of Intelligence for both terms of Hassan Rouhani (2013–2021). A cleric with a military background, he was previously head of the Political and Ideological Organisation of the Iranian Army — a post to which Ali Khamenei had appointed him directly. He had also served as a deputy Defense Minister. As Intelligence Minister he navigated the tension between Rouhani's détente agenda and the hardline security establishment, and managed the period of the JCPOA negotiations and their aftermath.