Hassan Rouhani Fast Facts

(CNN) -- Here's a look at the life of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.

Personal:
Birth date: November 12, 1948

Birth place: Sorkheh, Iran

Birth name: Hassan Feridon

Marriage: Married (name unavailable publicly)

Children: Has children (names unavailable publicly)

Education: University of Tehran, B. A, 1972.; Glasgow Caledonian University, M. Phil., 1995; Glasgow Caledonian University, Ph.D., 1999

Religion: Shiite Muslim

Other Facts:
Rouhani is a cleric. His religious title is Hojatoleslam, which is a middle rank in the religious hierarchy.

Arrested many times in the 1960s and 1970s as a follower of Ayatollah Khomeini.

Iranian media refers to Rouhani as the "diplomat sheik."

Timeline:
1960 - Begins his religious studies at a seminary in Semnan province.

1977 - Under the threat of arrest, leaves Iran and joins Ayatollah Khomeini in exile in France.

1980-2000 - After the overthrow of the Shah, Rouhani serves five terms in the National Assembly.

1983-1988 - Member of the Supreme Defense Council.

1985-1991 - Commander of the Iranian air defenses.

1988-1989 - Deputy Commander of Iran's Armed Forces.

1989-1997 - National Security Adviser to the president.

1989-2005 - Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council.

1989-present - Represents Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Iran's Supreme National Security Council.

1991-present - Member of the country's Expediency Council.

1992-present - President of the Center for Strategic Research.

1999-present - Member of the Council of Experts, the group that chooses the Supreme Leader.

2000-2005 - National Security Adviser to the president.

2003-2005 - Iran's chief nuclear negotiator.

June 14, 2013 - Wins the presidential election after securing more than 50 percent of the vote.

August 4, 2013 - Taking the oath of office before the Iranian parliament, Rouhani is sworn in as the seventh president of Iran.

September 19, 2013 - Writes column in The Washington Post and calls for engagement and "a constructive approach" to issues such as Iran's nuclear weapons program.

September 25, 2013 - In stark contrast to his predecessor, Rouhani condemns the actions of the Nazis during the Holocaust.

September 27, 2013 - Speaks with President Barack Obama by telephone, the first direct conversation between leaders of Iran and the United States since 1979.