Iran is one of the three currently existing Islamic republics. And it is the only state built on the religious and ideological basis of Shiite Islam. One of the forms of realization of the religious nature of state power in this country is the presence of a special religious qualification for the head of state: he must be the most authoritative Shiite theologian.

The purpose of the study is to determine the specifics of the constitutional and legal regulation of the powers of the head of the Iranian state (Supreme Leader, Rahbar). To do this, the author analyzed the original text of the Iranian Constitution, laws and other normative legal acts in relation to the declared area, and also studied the practice of the Supreme Leader in exercising certain constitutionally assigned powers. The author interpreted into Russian the content of some concepts and judgments that are essential for understanding the status of the head of state in Iran, enshrined in the Constitution of this country.

The author came to the conclusion that the head of state in Iran does not formally belong to any of the branches of power, but occupies a position “above” the system of state bodies, exercising control over their activities. His special position is based on the postulates of the official religion of Iran, enshrined in the Constitution. The control of the Supreme Leader over the activities of state bodies and officials of the branches of power is mainly realized through the fact that he has broad personnel authority in relation to senior officials within all branches of power. The special significance of the head of Iran in the state mechanism is also revealed in the fact that he has a fundamental influence on the process of changing the Constitution in Iran.