With the start of the Imposed War, the country’ s administrative system was compelled to adapt to wartime conditions by establishing various institutions and organizations, or by structurally reforming existing ones, so that it could manage the war in the best possible way.

The National Economic Mobilization Headquarters, the Government Discretionary Punishment Organization, the Foundation for the Affairs of War Migrants of the Imposed War, the Supreme Defense Council, the War Propaganda Headquarters, the Supreme Council for War Support, the Ministry of the IRGC, the Headquarters for Countering Air Attacks, and the Special Court for Handling War Violations were among the administrative structures of the country that were established because of the Imposed War.

Iraq’ s attack on Iran affected various sectors of the country. One of these effects was a change in the country’ s governance structure, such that during the Imposed War, institutions and structures were created that had not previously existed in the country’ s political system, and which, after the end of the war and once the temporary needs were met, ceased to exist.

The most significant impact and consequence of the Imposed War for the country was in the economic sector. The removal of the southern oil refineries from operation and the decline in energy production on one hand, and disruptions in exports and imports, shortages and price increases of goods, and the emergence of economic problems on the other, led the Council of Ministers, at its session on the 5‌^th of Mehr, 1359 (27 September 1980), to establish the “ National Economic Mobilization Headquarters” to make the decisions required by wartime conditions and implement them through the responsible organizations. The decision-making members of this headquarters were the ministers of Petroleum, Industries and Mines, Labor and Social Affairs, Agriculture, Interior, Energy, Economic Affairs and Finance, Commerce, and Defense, and the heads of the Plan and Budget Organization and the Central Bank of Iran, or their plenipotentiary representatives, along with a number of members of parliament and representatives of the private sector, chaired by the prime minister.⁠[1]

The headquarters’ first measure was the establishment of a rationing or coupon system for the fair distribution of essential provisions and necessities such as sugar, cooking oil, kerosene, and gasoline, which was welcomed by the public because it created a sense of psychological security in society.⁠[2] Controlling the open and black markets, providing coverage for war veterans, paying unemployment insurance to those affected by the war, and establishing interest-free loan funds (qarz al-hasaneh) in mosques and neighborhoods were among the other measures of the Economic Mobilization Headquarters during the war.⁠[3]

The government’ s use of authority in the area of Governmental Discretionary Punishment was another effect of the Imposed War on the country’ s governance structure. Economic and social problems arising from the manner of production, distribution, and supply of goods during the war years led the prime minister to write a letter to Imam Khomeini asking about the extent of the government’ s authority to set prices for essential goods and services and to supervise its implementation. Imam Khomeini, in his reply, authorized the government to carry out this action.⁠[4] Following the issuance of this ruling, a nationwide campaign against hoarding and profiteering was implemented.

The establishment of the Foundation for the Affairs of War Migrants was another economic effect of the war on the country’ s governance system. The foundation’ s main task was to provide living facilities for people who had migrated from war zones to other provinces of the country.⁠[5] Paying pensions to migrants of the Imposed War was another economic measure of this foundation, carried out in cooperation with the Ministry of Economic Affairs.⁠[6]

The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Finance, as the government’ s economic pillar, tried to reduce the economic effects of the war on people’ s livelihoods by adopting policies such as curbing the growth of the country’ s liquidity, reducing indirect taxes, and overseeing foreign exchange policy through rationing, official exchange-rate setting, and the allocation of official currency, barter currency, student currency, medical-treatment currency, and travel currency — measures specific to the war period.⁠[7]

Transferring the decision-making authority over the allocation of oil foreign-exchange revenues from the government to members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly was another special economic decision of the war period, which reduced rent-seeking and corruption in the government’ s economic sector.⁠[8]

The Imposed War also had an effect on the country’ s political sphere. The regular holding of Supreme Defense Council meetings — a council which, despite having been established on 20‌^th of Ordibehesht, 1359 (10 May 1980), had remained dormant until the outbreak of the Imposed War — was the first effect of the Imposed War on the country’ s political structure.⁠[9] On 20‌^th of Mehr 1359 (12 October 1980), Imam Khomeini, in a decree addressed to the country’ s officials, listed among the council’ s duties the supervision of all matters related to the war, the coordination of all armed forces, the administration of war zones, and the appointment of representatives in those zones. Other duties and powers of the Supreme Defense Council under the Imam’ s decree included overseeing all propaganda, interviews, speeches, writings, statements, and announcements published by radio-television or the press, and determining foreign-policy guidelines related to defense.⁠[10] Under this same decree, individuals, groups, and all forces were obligated to comply with the decisions of the Supreme Defense Council, and violation of its rulings was considered a crime. Government agents were also tasked with apprehending violators of the Supreme Defense Council’ s rulings and handing them over for prosecution in accordance with wartime conditions.⁠[11]

The establishment of the War Propaganda Headquarters was among the Supreme Defense Council’ s initial measures aimed at covering front-line and war news. Coordinating overarching policies on war information and news, organizing news about operations and the war, and ensuring that no news was broadcast that could adversely affect the morale of the people and combatants or provide the enemy with useful intelligence were among the duties of the War Propaganda Headquarters.⁠[12]

In 1365 (1986/1987), as the responsibilities of the Supreme Defense Council increased and a more focused approach to war support became necessary, the Supreme Council for War Support was established by order of Imam Khomeini. The purpose of establishing this council alongside the Supreme Defense Council was to coordinate and address the state of front-line support and the provisioning and supply of forces.⁠[13]

The Imposed War also affected the structure and duties of the government. The establishment of the Ministry of the IRGC, aimed at greater coordination between the Revolutionary Guard Corps and the government and parliament, and at supporting and supplying the Corps (financially, in terms of weaponry, etc.),⁠[14] and the establishment of the Headquarters for Countering Air Attacks within the Prime Minister’ s Office, along with measures such as building shelters and the like,⁠[15] occurred within the body of government in response to the special conditions of wartime.

In the legal domain, the establishment of military courts under the Judicial Organization of the Armed Forces in 1364 (1985/1986), and the establishment of the Special Court for Handling War Violations in 1367 (1988), were among the most significant effects of the war on the country’ s judicial system. After the establishment of the Judicial Organization of the Armed Forces, units of this organization were formed in provincial capitals and took on responsibility for handling violations by armed forces personnel while observing the formal procedures of judicial process. In the final period of the war, senior army and IRGC commanders raised the issue that the rulings issued by the Judicial Organization of the Armed Forces lacked sufficient deterrent effect and that this was affecting the course of the war and contributing to certain setbacks.⁠[16] By order of Imam Khomeini, Hojjat al-Islam wal-Muslimin Ali Razini (martyred) was assigned the mission of establishing the Special Court for Handling War Violations, without being bound by cumbersome regulations,⁠[17] in order to prosecute the crimes of offenders. Since the establishment of such a court was not based on any existing law in the country, judicial officials obtained a religious-governmental ruling from Imam Khomeini for this purpose.⁠[18]

With the end of the Imposed War, some institutions established during the war, such as the War Propaganda Headquarters, the Supreme Council for War Support, and the Special Court for Handling War Violations, lost their function and were dissolved. Some other institutions continued their activities by changing their structure or merging into other bodies. Examples of this include the transfer of the government’ s authority in the area of Governmental Discretionary Punishment to the Governmental Discretionary Punishment Organization,⁠[19] the merger of the Supreme Defense Council into the Supreme National Security Council,⁠[20] the merger of the National Economic Mobilization Headquarters into the Ministry of Commerce, and the merger of the Foundation for the Affairs of War Migrants into the Ministry of Interior.⁠[21]