Morteza Aghatehrani


Morteza Aghatehrani is an Iranian Shia cleric and principlist politician. He was former secretary-general of the Front of Islamic Revolution Stability, and now representing Tehran, Rey, Shemiranat and Eslamshahr in the Parliament of Iran since 2020. He was also a member of Iranian Parliament from 2008 to 2016.
A protégé of Taqi Yazdi, he was the "morality teacher" of the cabinet of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Aghatehrani he was formerly Imam of 'Islamic Institute of New York', a Shia mosque located in New York City.

Education

Aghatehrani went to Canada to pursue his graduate studies at McGill University, before gaining a PhD in Middle East Studies from State University of New York at Binghamton and defending a thesis entitled "Khajah Nasir al-Din Tusi on the Meta-Mysticism of Ibn Sina" in 2000.

Controversy

In 2012, it stirred controversy when it was revealed that Aghatehrani holds a Green card, tantamount to permanent residency status in the United States, while he is often regarded "strongly anti-foreign".