What are the key forums and actors in Iran's policy-making process?

• A. Local councils dictate national policy.
• B. The Majles drafts laws; the Guardian Council vets; the Expediency Council resolves conflicts; the Supreme Leader sets broad policy.
• C. Only the Guardian Council makes all policies.
• D. The President rules unilaterally.

Answer: (B)

In Iran, policy-making operates through a mix of legislative drafting, constitutional-legal review, conflict resolution among those bodies, and ultimate direction by the supreme authority. The legislature drafts laws, the Guardian Council reviews and vets those laws to ensure they conform to the constitution and Islamic law, and when there’s a clash between the legislature and the Guardian Council the Expediency Discernment Council steps in to resolve the dispute. At the top, the Supreme Leader sets broad policy direction and wields overarching influence over major state institutions, including appointments and key strategic decisions. This combination—legislative initiative, constitutional-legal vetting, a body to resolve legislative conflicts, and supreme-level policy direction—is what shapes Iran’s policy process. Local councils or the president alone do not determine national policy in this system, since real authority is distributed and ultimately anchored in the Supreme Leader.