Islamic Revolutionary Court (Persian: دادگاه انقلاب اسلامی, romanized: Dadegah Enghalab Eslami), also known as the Revolutionary Tribunal (Dadgahha-e Enqelab) is a special system of courts in the Islamic Republic of Iran designed to try "mainly (but not exclusively) ... high-profile" political cases, specifically those suspected of crimes such as smuggling, blaspheming, inciting violence, insulting the Supreme Leader, and attempting to overthrow the Islamic government. It has been described as less regulated than ordinary Iranian courts, and tending to be more hardline and unpredictable in its judgements.

In the years after the 1979 Iranian Revolution when it was founded to prosecute ideological enemies, the court was known for its secretiveness, for coming to verdicts with "no jury, no defence lawyers and often no evidence beyond a confession extracted ... by means of torture". From 1979–1989 the Revolutionary Court sent "more than 16,000 people" to their deaths, according to the Iran Tribunal campaign group.

The jurisdiction of the Revolutionary Courts, as amended in 1983, encompasses

Disputes over jurisdiction between the Revolutionary Courts and Iranian Penal Courts are resolved by the Iranian Supreme Court. To date, according to the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, "it appears that there is a tendency to extend the jurisdiction of the Revolutionary Courts to all offenses which in the opinion of the authorities are not punished severely enough."

The trials are not public, there is no jury, and a single judge decides the matter at hand. Information on the trial is disclosed at the discretion of the government.^{[citation needed]}

The revolutionary courts were created shortly after the overthrow of the monarchy and the arrival of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in Iran. The general goal of the court is thought to have been to seek vengeance against officials of Shah's regime (particularly SAVAK) – as many revolutionaries had lost friends and family members at the hands of the government – and to eliminate military and civilian leaders who might foment a counter-revolution against Islamic rule.

The first tribunal was convened secretly in Refah School in southern Tehran where Khomeini had set up his headquarters. The first four death sentences were issued by Hojjat al-Islam Sadegh Khalkhali, approved by Khomeini, and carried out in the early hours of February 16, 1979. By early November, 550 people – mostly military and SAVAK – had been sent to the firing squads by revolutionary tribunals. Revolutionary Tribunals were set up in the major towns, with two courts in the capital of Tehran – one each in the prisons of Qasr and Evin, and one traveling tribunal for Sadegh Khalkhali who was known for handing out many death sentences. The courts presiding judges were clerics appointed by Khomeini himself.

At least at first, the revolutionary courts differ from standard Western law courts by limiting trials to a few hours, sometimes minutes. Defendants could be found guilty on the basis of "popular repute." The concept of a defense attorney was dismissed as a "Western absurdity." A charge that was widely applied against defendants but unfamiliar to some was Mofsed-e-filarz, or "spreading corruption on earth". This covered a variety of offenses – "insulting Islam and the clergy," "opposing the Islamic Revolution," "supporting the Pahlavis," and "undermining Iran's independence" by helping the 1953 coup and giving capitulatory privileges to the imperial powers".