Mohammad Khatami

President of Iran

14 October 1943 Ardakan, Yazd Province, Imperial State of Iran

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3 August 1997 – 3 August 2005

5th President of Iran from 1997 to 2005 For other persons with this surname, see Khatami (surname). Sayyid Mohammad Khatamiمحمد خاتمیKhatami in 20075th President of IranIn office 3 August 1997 – 3 August 2005Supreme LeaderAli KhameneiFirst Vice PresidentHassan Habibi Mohammad Reza ArefPreceded by Akbar Hashemi RafsanjaniSucceeded by Mahmoud AhmadinejadMinister of Culture and Islamic GuidanceIn office 12 September 1982 – 24 May 1992PresidentAli Khamenei Akbar Hashemi RafsanjaniPrime Minister Mir-Hossein MousaviPreceded by Mir-Hossein Mousavi (acting)Succeeded by Ali LarijaniMember of the Parliament of IranIn office 28 May 1980 – 24 August 1982Preceded by Manouchehr YazdiSucceeded by Mohammad HosseininejadConstituencyYazd, Ardakan districtMajority40,112 (82.1%) Personal detailsBornSeyyed Mohammad Khatami (1943-10-14 ) 14 October 1943 (age 77) Ardakan, Yazd Province, Imperial State of IranNationalityIranianPolitical partyAssociation of Combatant ClericsSpouse(s)Zohreh Sadeghi (m. 1974)Children3, including EmadParentsRuhollah Khatami (father) Sakineh Ziaee (mother)RelativesMohammad-Reza Khatami (brother) Ali Khatami (brother) Mohammad Reza Tabesh (nephew)Alma materUniversity of Isfahan University of TehranSignatureWebsiteOfficial websiteMilitary serviceAllegianceIranBranch/serviceIranian Imperial ArmyYears of service1969–1971RankSecond lieutenant; Financial specialistUnitTehran region 3 sustainment Sayyid Mohammad Khatami (Persian: سید محمد خاتمی ‎, pronounced  ( listen ) ; born 14 October 1943) served as the fifth President of Iran from 3 August 1997 to 3 August 2005. He also served as Iran's Minister of Culture from 1982 to 1992. Later, he was critical of the government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Little known internationally before becoming president, Khatami attracted attention during his first election to the presidency when he received almost 70% of the vote. Khatami had run on a platform of liberalization and reform. During his two terms as president, Khatami advocated freedom of expression, tolerance and civil society, constructive diplomatic relations with other states including those in Asia and the European Union, and an economic policy that supported a free market and foreign investment. On 8 February 2009, Khatami announced that he would run in the 2009 presidential election but withdrew on 16 March in favor of his long-time friend and adviser, former Prime Minister of Iran, Mir-Hossein Mousavi. Khatami proposed the Dialogue Among Civilizations. The United Nations proclaimed the year 2001 as the United Nations' Year of Dialogue Among Civilizations, on Khatami's suggestion. In October 2009, the award committee of the Global Dialogue Prize declared Dariush Shayegan and Mohammad Khatami as joint winners of the inaugural award, "for their work in developing and promoting the concept of a 'dialogue among cultures and civilizations' as new paradigm of cultural subjectivity and as new paradigm of international relations". The Global Dialogue Prize is one of the world's most significant recognition for research in the Humanities, honoring "excellence in research and research communication on the conditions and content of a global intercultural dialogue on values". In January 2010, Mohammad Khatami stated that "he was not in the position to accept the award", and the prize was given to Dariush Shayegan alone. The Iranian media are forbidden on the orders of Tehran's prosecutor from publishing pictures of Khatami, or quoting his words, on account of his support for the defeated reformist candidates in the disputed 2009 re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.