Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (Persian: محمود احمدی نژاد, Mahmūd Ahmadinezhād mæhmuːd-e æhmædiː-neʒɒːd (help·info); born 28 October 1956)[1][2] is the sixth and current President of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He became president on August 6, 2005, after winning the 2005 presidential election.[3] Ahmadinejad became the first president of the Islamic Republic in twenty-four years who was not a religious cleric.[4] Despite his title, he is not the most powerful official in Iran; that role belongs to the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to Article 113 of Constitution of Iran. [5] Prior to becoming president, Ahmadinejad was mayor of Tehran and governor general of Iran's Ardabil Province. Ahmadinejad has been a critic of the US and Israel, and backs strengthening Iran's relations with Russia, Venezuela, Syria, and the Persian Gulf states.[6][7][8] On Iran's nuclear program, Ahmadinejad has said it is for peaceful purposes. For that stated reason... more