List of Tehran's Friday Prayer Imams
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This article lists Tehran's Friday Prayer Imams that were appointed before and after the Iranian Revolution of 1979. It contains both the official and ephemeral Tehran's Friday prayer Imams. The most recent Imam was the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, whose term lasted from his appointment by Ruhollah Khomeini in 1980 until his assassination in the 2026 Iran war.
- Life
- (Appointer can appoint and remove from office)
| Friday Prayer Imam of Tehran | |
|---|---|
| امام جمعه تهران | |
 Seal of Tehran | |
 | |
| Type | Imam of Friday Prayer |
| Seat | Grand Mosalla, Tehran |
| Appointer | |
| Term length |
|
| First holder | Sayyid Abolqasem (first known) |
| Deputy | Ephemeral Imams |
The appointer of both the official and ephemeral Friday Prayer Imams is the Supreme Leader of Iran, who is currently Mojtaba Khamenei, a son of Ali Khamenei. Before the revolution, it was the Shah of Iran who appointed the Friday Prayer Imams. The current Ephemeral Friday Prayer Imams are Ahmad Khatami, Ali Movahedi-Kermani, Mohammad-Hassan Aboutorabi Fard and Mohammad Javad Haj Ali Akbari.[1]
Imams
Before the Iranian Revolution (before 1979)
| No. | Portrait | Imam | Date | Appointed by | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sayyid Abolqasem | Unknown – 1908 | Unknown | Dismissed from the position by the Constitutionalists[2] | |
| 2 | Mohammad Emami | 1908–1947 | Unknown | Died in office[2] | |
| 3 |  | Hassan Emami | 2 February 1946 – 16 January 1979 | Mohammad Reza Shah | Left office due to Iranian Revolution[2] |
| Vacant (16 January 1979 – 11 February 1979) | |||||
Islamic Republic of Iran (from 1979)
| No. | Portrait | Imam | Date | Appointed by | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vacant (11 February 1979 – 27 July 1979) | |||||
| 1 |  | Mahmoud Taleghani | 27 July 1979 – 9 September 1979[3] | Ruhollah Khomeini | Died in office |
| 2 |  | Hussein-Ali Montazeri | 12 September 1979 – 14 January 1980[3] | Ruhollah Khomeini | Resigned |
| 3 | (2).jpg) | Ali Khamenei | 14 January 1980 – 28 February 2026 | Ruhollah Khomeini | Assassinated during office |
| Vacant (28 February 2026 – present) | |||||
Ephemeral Imams
| No. | Portrait | Imam | Date | Appointed by | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Abdolkarim Mousavi Ardebili | 13 February 1981 – 24 December 1993[3] | Ruhollah Khomeini | Imamate unofficially ended |
| 2 | (cropped).jpg) | Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani | 3 July 1981 – 17 July 2009[3] | Ruhollah Khomeini | Imamate unofficially ended |
| 3 |  | Mohammed Emami-Kashani | 30 October 1981 – 2 March 2024[3] | Ruhollah Khomeini | Died in office |
| 4 | Mohammad Mahdi Rabbani Amlashi | 11 December 1981 – ?[3] | Ruhollah Khomeini | He was Imam for 3 times | |
| 5 |  | Mohammad Yazdi | 1982 – late 1990s[3] | Ruhollah Khomeini | Resigned |
| 6 |  | Mohammad-Reza Mahdavi Kani | 11 March 1983 – 19 June 2009[3] | Ruhollah Khomeini | He was Imam for 100 times |
| 7 |  | Ahmad Jannati | 3 April 1992 – 11 March 2018[3] | Ali Khamenei | Resigned |
| 8 | Hassan Taheri Khorramabadi | ? | Ali Khamenei | He was Imam for 8 times[3] | |
| 9 | .jpg) | Ahmad Khatami | 18 December 2005 – present[3] | Ali Khamenei | |
| 10 |  | Kazem Seddiqi | 1 August 2009 – 3 August 2025[3] | Ali Khamenei | Resigned |
| 11 |  | Ali Movahedi-Kermani | 2 December 2012 – present[3] | Ali Khamenei | |
| 12 | .jpg) | Mohammad-Hassan Aboutorabi Fard | 14 February 2018 – present[3] | Ali Khamenei | |
| 13 |  | Mohammad-Javad Haj Ali Akbari | 31 December 2018 – present | Ali Khamenei |