The Jahad-e Sazandegi Organization was established following the victory of the Islamic Revolution, at the order of Imam Khomeini (ra), with the aim of repairing the damage left behind by the Pahlavi regime and planning for rural development and the reduction of poverty. With the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq War, it also took on responsibility for engineering and logistical support on the warfronts.

The activities of Jahad-e Sazandegi can be divided into five periods: the first period, from its formation until the start of the war (1979–1980); the second, from the beginning of the war until the establishment of the Ministry of Jahad-e Sazandegi (1980–1983); the third, from the formation of the ministry until the end of the war (1983–1988); the fourth, from the end of the war until the merger of the ministries of Jahad-e Sazandegi and Agriculture (1988–2000); and the fifth period, from then until the present day (2000 onward).⁠[1]

In the early days following the Islamic Revolution, and in light of anti-revolutionary activities in rural areas, a group of university students—whose studies had been temporarily suspended due to the Cultural Revolution—volunteered to go to villages and help people. Confronted with the scale of poverty and underdevelopment inherited from the Pahlavi time, and through direct presence in villages and deprived regions, these students became deeply aware of the hardships faced by rural communities. It was in this context that the first ideas of organized reconstruction took shape in their minds. After meeting with Ayatollah Seyyed Muhammad Hussaini Beheshti and drafting an initial framework, they presented their proposal to Imam Khomeini (ra), who welcomed the idea. He then ordered that the groundwork be laid for the establishment of Jahad-e Sazandegi so that he could formally issue the decree founding the organization. The students prepared the initial arrangements and, on June 16, 1979, proposed the name “Jahad Barai-e Sazandegi (Jihad for Reconstruction)”. Imam Khomeini (ra) removed the word “for” and named the organization “Jahad-e Sazandegi”. Finally, on June 17, 1979, he officially issued the order establishing the Jahad-e Sazandegi Organization.⁠[2]

A draft of the organization’s statute was submitted to the Islamic Consultative Assembly for approval on November 17, 1981,⁠[3] and was approved by parliament on February 18, 1982.⁠[4] Subsequently, many young revolutionary men and women joined the newly established institution to provide cultural and developmental services to rural populations and deprived areas.

The Supreme Council of Jahad-e Sazandegi consisted of the prime minister or a government representative, a representative of Imam Khomeini (ra), a representative of the Revolutionary Council, six ministers chosen by the prime minister, four representatives elected by provincial coordination councils, and two clerics nominated by the prime minister and approved by the Revolutionary Council.⁠[5] At the beginning, Jahad-e Sazandegi focused its structure and activities on deprived regions. With Imam Khomeini’s representative assigned to the organization’s headquarters at Enqelab Square in Tehran, reconstruction efforts in rural areas formally began. After the prime minister’s representatives withdrew from the organization and the provisional government resigned following the takeover of the U.S. Embassy, Jahad-e Sazandegi Organization was officially run by a three-member council from November 1979. The first members of its central council were Mojtaba Aladpoush, Abbas Akhoundi, and Reza Afshar, with Ali-Akbar Nateq Nouri attending meetings as the Imam Khomeini’s representative. The council’s priority was to establish Jahad offices in provincial capitals and then expand to counties and deprived districts.⁠[6]

Eliminating poverty and deprivation in rural areas, moving toward national independence and self-sufficiency by improving the economic and social conditions of villages and nomadic regions through the development of agriculture, livestock farming, rural industries, and related fields, creating the conditions for the growth of villagers’ human dignity through participation and oversight in local activities, and mobilizing different segments of society for rural reconstruction were among the core objectives of this organization, as outlined in its statute.⁠[7]

The emblem of Jahad-e Sazandegi reflects its ideals and mission. The verse from Surah Saba (Quran 34:46) displayed at the top of the emblem was inspired by Imam Khomeini’s remarks on Jahad-e Sazandegi. On the right side, 24 wheat sheaves symbolize the organization’s round-the-clock activity. On the left, a sickle represents its focus on rural life and poverty alleviation. The phrase “Hame ba Ham (All Together)”, also drawn from the same Quranic verse, conveys the meaning of cooperation and solidarity in rising for a divine cause. The name Jahad-e Sazandegi appears at the center, and the year 1358 (1979) marks June 17, 1979, the date of its establishment.⁠[8]

Although the organization’s initial activities were limited to rural development, education, and cultural work, the start of the Iran-Iraq War led to the Jahad-e Sazandegi’s direct involvement in the war by providing engineering and logistical support.⁠[9] In the early stages, its engineering activities focused on basic trench-building and the construction of defensive earthworks. Despite limited experience in warfare and shortages of machinery and equipment, these efforts proved effective, and in several major operations, Jahad-e Sazandegi’s engineering work compensated for shortages in combat units. In some cases, such activities and resources were even used as deception operations against enemy forces.⁠[10]

By early 1984, when the Central Headquarters for War Engineering Support was founded within Jahad-e Sazandegi Organization, a War Engineering Research Center was also created, with a focus on developing new technologies for engineering equipment. Among its most significant achievements were the construction of the 30-kilometer Kheibar floating bridge in the Hoveyzeh marshes and the Beathat Bridge over the Arvand River.⁠[11] Other activities in war zones included building platforms in the Hoor-al-Azim marshes, constructing various operational pads, ice-making plants, kitchens, drinking-water purification facilities, baths, and chemical decontamination showers, supplying water to trenches, road construction, establishing clinics and field hospitals, and rebuilding war-damaged rural areas.⁠[12]

Another key initiative of Jahad-e Sazandegi was the formation of its television unit, which produced films promoting the values of the Islamic Revolution. Seyyed Morteza Avini was playing a key role in this group.⁠[13]

After the war, Iran sought to address inefficiencies in the agricultural sector. Therefore, in line with the Third Economic, Social, and Cultural Development Plan—which aimed to reform administration, reduce unnecessary government intervention, improve productivity, and consolidate responsibilities in agriculture, livestock, and rural development—a bill was drafted to merge the Ministry of Jahad-e Sazandegi with the Ministry of Agriculture, creating the Ministry of Jahad-e Keshavarzi (Ministry of Agriculture Jihad). The bill was approved by the Islamic Consultative Assembly on December 26, 2000, and subsequently confirmed by the Guardian Council on December 30.⁠[14]

During the war, Jahad-e Sazandegi played a crucial logistical and engineering role, and it was for this reason that Imam Khomeini (ra) gave its members the title “Trench-Builders without Trenches”.

The ministers of Jahad-e Sazandegi from its establishment were Bijan Namdar Zanganeh (1983–1988), Gholamreza Forouzesh (1988–1997), and Muhammad Saeedi-Kia (1997–2000). Ali-Akbar Nateq Nouri and Abdollah Nouri were also the representatives of Imam Khomeini (ra) in Jahad-e Sazandegi from its founding until 2000. The first minister of Agriculture Jihad was Mahmoud Hojjati, and the current minister, since August 21, 2024, is Gholamreza Nouri-Qezeljeh.⁠[15]

Over the eight years of the Iran-Iraq War, Jahad-e Sazandegi dispatched more than 540,000 people from popular forces and government offices to the frontlines. In this period, it contributed over 3,300 martyrs and tens of thousands of wounded veterans, freed prisoners of war, and other sacrifices to the cause of the Revolution and the Islamic Republic. Among the most prominent martyrs affiliated with this organization are Muhammad Tarhchi-Tusi and Abdolhussain Najian, commanders of the Karbala Headquarters of Jahad-e Sazandegi, as well as Muhammad-Taqi Razavi, commander of the War Engineering Support Headquarters, and Hashem Sajadi, commander of combat engineering at the Najaf-e Ashraf Headquarters.⁠[16]

June 17 is officially recognized in the calendar of the Islamic Republic of Iran as Jahad-e Sazandegi Day.