Procedures
General courts, revolutionary courts and the Supreme Court
Civil claims begin in the general courts and are appealed to provincial courts of appeal, with limited further review by the Supreme Court. Revolutionary courts sit alongside the ordinary hierarchy with jurisdiction over security, narcotics and certain economic offences.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — National, with a parallel revolutionary court system of contested subject-matter boundaries.
- Deadline — Appeal against a first instance civil judgment: twenty days from service for parties resident in Iran, two months for those abroad
Governing law
- Code of Civil Procedure for Public and Revolutionary Courts1379/2000
- Law on the Establishment of General and Revolutionary Courts1373/1994
In practice
The general courts hear ordinary civil and criminal matters. The revolutionary courts, created after 1979, were intended as temporary but remain, and their jurisdiction over vaguely defined security and economic offences is the main practical concern for foreign parties. Judgments must be reasoned and are appealable, but the Supreme Court's role is cassation on points of law rather than rehearing. Dispute resolution councils handle small claims and attempt conciliation first. Sources for Iranian procedure in English are thin, and anyone acting on a specific matter needs local advice rather than a summary.