Rise and decline of Iranian hardliners: why the Ahmadinejad’s group shifted from power to opposition

This paper analyses the political parabola of the Iranian hardliners behind the leadership of Mahmood Ahmadinejad with a historical approach. It will investigate the rise in power of Ahmadinejad’s circle by identifying his electoral campaign, as well as his political narrative and relations with the other political factions. Moreover, the paper will analyse economic reforms and trace the guidelines of Ahmadinejad’s foreign policy to provide a comprehensive insight into his political agenda. The paper aims to identify the path of hardliners from being the peak of the political power to the subsequent marginalization that led them to stand as the opposition. It will therefore examine the roots behind this shift and the legacy left by the hardliners’ political experience in the factional competition.