Character

Hard-Liners

hostile critical oppositional

The Hard-Liners form a conservative faction inside Iran that pressures the Ayatollah on foreign policy decisions. Leo McGarry highlights their influence during Oval Office discussions about the Ayatollah's son receiving a U.S. heart-and-lung transplant. As a domestic audience demanding accountability, they force the Ayatollah to publicly address the humanitarian mission, complicating Tehran's diplomacy and underscoring internal political tensions that ripple into White House strategy.

2 appearances

Iranian Domestic Politics

Also known as: hard-liners

Hard-Liners's Journey

A timeline through the narrative

2 moments

S4E9 · Swiss Diplomacy

Oval Banter and the Red‑Cross Line

Hostile and vigilant — a political threat to any perceived concession to the West.

Referenced as the domestic Iranian faction pressuring the Ayatollah to denounce Western involvement and complicate his private effort to save his son.

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S4E9 · Swiss Diplomacy

You Don't Bargain a Life — Bartlet Draws a Humanitarian Line

Aggressive and suspicious — a background force whose judgment constrains Tehran's diplomatic options.

Hard-liners are invoked as the domestic constituency pressuring the Ayatollah, a rhetorical threat Leo references to explain why Tehran must be handled delicately.

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