Draft:Iran Pact Party

The Ahd-e Iran Party (Template:Lang-fa; Hezb-e Ahd-e Iran) is a reformist political party in Iran. The word Ahd, meaning “pact” or “pledge,” is also a Persian acronym formed from edalat, hambastegi and democracy—“justice, solidarity and democracy.” The party describes its platform as combining gradual and lawful reform, social justice, political freedom, sustainable development, democracy and consensus-building.

The party held its first congress in Tehran on 1 January 2026. Delegates elected a central council and chose Ali Bagheri as secretary-general for a two-year term. Iran’s Article 10 Parties Commission subsequently approved the party’s application for an operating licence, and the party announced the formal start of its public activities on 30 August 2026. At the time of the announcement, Bagheri served as secretary-general and Elaha Nouri as spokesperson.

History

Political background

The political tendency became known as Rozaneh-goshayi (Template:Lang-fa; “creating an opening”) after a February 2024 statement titled Rozaneh-goshayi konim (Template:Lang-fa), translated as “Let Us Create an Opening.” Its supporters were subsequently referred to as the Rozaneh-goshayan.

Before Iran’s 2024 parliamentary election, 110 political, civil-society, academic and media figures signed the statement. It advocated supporting moderate, development-oriented and reformist candidates in constituencies where a degree of electoral competition remained. Its signatories argued that limited electoral opportunities could still be used to prevent more hard-line candidates from entering parliament and to preserve the possibility of lawful political participation.

The Rozaneh-goshayi current was not a single party or formally constituted organization. Its signatories included independent academics and political figures as well as figures associated with the National Trust Party, the Neda Party of Iranians and the Executives of Construction Party. Supporters of the approach subsequently became known as the Rozaneh-goshayan (Template:Lang-fa). Ahd-e Iran was later established by a group of activists aligned with this approach, but independently of the existing parties whose members had also supported the statement.

Establishment

According to Ali Bagheri, work on establishing a permanent political organization began in mid-2023, following debates among reformist activists about political disengagement and the perceived impasse facing the reform movement after the events of 2022.

The founders concluded that no existing political party fully combined their preferred approach of gradual reform, social justice, political freedom, moderation and development-oriented public policy. A 34-member founding board was subsequently formed and held 43 organizational meetings over approximately eighteen months.

Ahd-e Iran held its first congress in Tehran on 1 January 2026. The event was attended by members and leaders of several reformist parties and political figures, including Mohammad Javad Zarif, Behzad Nabavi, Abbas Akhoundi, Hossein Marashi and Mohammad-Ali Abtahi. Zarif and Nabavi were among the speakers at the congress.

Delegates elected a 21-member central council and selected Ali Bagheri as secretary-general for a two-year term. Bagheri had previously served as director-general for political affairs at the Ministry of the Interior during the presidency of Mohammad Khatami and as secretary of the Reform Front of Iran.

The party’s statutes established a 30-percent gender quota for its central bodies. Seven members of the first 21-member central council and three of its nine alternate members were women.

On 25 February 2026, Iran’s Article 10 Parties Commission approved the party’s application for an operating licence. After receiving its licence, Ahd-e Iran publicly announced the formal commencement of its activities on 30 August 2026. At that time, Ali Bagheri was the party’s secretary-general and Elaha Nouri its spokesperson.

Ideology and positions

Ahd-e Iran identifies itself as reformist, justice-oriented, developmentalist and moderate. It presents justice and freedom, security and development, and government and society as interdependent objectives.

The party describes justice as a central standard for evaluating political and social institutions. Its stated objectives include reducing poverty, inequality, discrimination, social exclusion and corruption. It has also called for greater political representation of Iran’s diverse social groups and for the expansion of economic, gender, judicial, educational, health, environmental, regional and digital justice.

The party supports expanding political participation, strengthening elected institutions, protecting civil and citizenship rights, increasing government accountability and supporting political parties, civil-society organizations and labour associations. It also advocates greater judicial independence and equal application of the law.

Ahd-e Iran defines its political method as lawful, gradual and non-violent reform within the constitutional framework of the Islamic Republic of Iran. It presents politics as a means of cooperation, negotiation and problem-solving rather than a struggle to eliminate political opponents. The party opposes political polarization and describes itself as supportive of a pragmatic and consensus-oriented political centre.

Economic and social policies

In economic and social policy, the party advocates a developmental welfare state combined with a competitive but regulated market. It has called for stronger labour rights, increased access to what it terms “good jobs,” and improved public services, particularly in education, healthcare, infrastructure and social protection.

The party has also expressed support for social housing, redistributive taxation, industrial and production-oriented economic policies, assistance for vulnerable citizens and measures intended to reduce poverty and economic inequality.

Environmental protection and sustainable development form part of the party’s stated programme. It regards Iran’s natural environment and ecological resources as intergenerational assets and supports development that is inclusive, balanced, environmentally sustainable and responsive to regional inequalities.

Foreign policy

Ahd-e Iran advocates strengthening what it describes as Iran’s national power, including its economic capacity, diplomacy, military deterrence, public legitimacy and international influence. It supports Iran’s strategic autonomy while arguing that the country should avoid international isolation.

The party favours a balanced foreign policy and describes Iran as capable of serving as a regional and international bridge rather than aligning exclusively with either Western or Eastern powers. Its foreign-policy statements emphasize diplomacy, national interests, sustainable security and peaceful international cooperation.

Relationship with the reformist movement

Ahd-e Iran regards itself as part of Iran’s broader reformist movement. Its founders have described the party’s approach as a consensus-oriented interpretation of reformism that seeks national and cross-party agreements around specific public-policy problems.

The electoral strategy associated with Rozaneh-goshayi has remained contested within the reformist movement. Supporters regard participation in restricted elections as a means of preserving political activity, limiting the influence of hard-line candidates and making incremental gains. Critics argue that participation in tightly controlled elections provides political legitimacy to the existing system while offering little prospect of structural change.

Ahd-e Iran’s founders have stated that the party does not consider itself opposed to other reformist organizations despite these strategic differences. The party has emphasized cooperation with political forces that share some of its objectives while maintaining a distinct organizational identity.

Organization

The party is headed by a secretary-general elected for a two-year term. Ali Bagheri was elected as its first secretary-general at the founding congress in January 2026. Elaha Nouri served as party spokesperson when Ahd-e Iran publicly commenced its activities in August 2026.

The first central council consisted of 21 members: Ali Bagheri, Mohammad-Reza Jalaeipour, Mehdi Yousefi Jamarani, Mitra Jeloudari, Elaha Nouri, Hassan Faezi, Mozhgan Esbati, Mohammad-Hossein Naeimipour, Mehdi Shirzad, Seyed Hassan Hosseini, Mohammad-Amin Nikjou, Marzieh Azarafza, Mojtaba Bayat, Abuzar Motamedi, Mohsen Ahmadvand, Zeinab Mazarei, Nasir Mellat, Mohammad-Amin Samimi, Sajjad Ahmadvand, Neda Shams and Leila Seyed Hatami.