After the Constitution of the Islamic Republic was amended and the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) came into being up to the present time, he has been representative of the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, at the council. Rouhani was the first secretary of the SNSC and kept the post for 16 years from 1989 to 2005. He was also national security advisor – to President Hashemi and President Khatami – for 13 years from 1989 to 1997 and from 2000 to 2005. In 1991, Rouhani was appointed to the Expediency Council and has kept that post up to the present time.
He heads the Political, Defense, and Security Committee of the Expediency Council. Rouhani’s presidency marked one of most outward-looking periods in recent decades. He prioritized rebuilding relationships with major global powers, arguing that economic recovery depended on international reintegration. Rouhani supported curbing sensitive nuclear activities to gain relief from crushing economic sanctions.
