On the 19th local time, Iranian President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, who is missing due to a helicopter crash, is known for being a conservative jurist. Raisi, the 2nd in power hierarchy in Iran, is considered a figure who could succeed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the top leader with the ultimate authority in Iranian politics and religion.
According to The Guardian and The New York Times (NYT), President Raisi was born in December 1960 in a city near Mashhad, one of the major Shia holy sites in eastern Iran, as the son of a cleric. In his teens, he studied theology under Khamenei and participated in anti-monarchy protests before the Islamic Revolution in 1979.
He majored in law at Shahid Motahari University in Tehran and began his career as a prosecutor in Karaj near Tehran at the age of 21 in 1981. He served as Tehran’s Prosecutor General from 1989 to 1994, then as the Attorney General in 2014, and eventually became the head of the judiciary, equivalent to the Chief Justice in 2019.
In 1988, while leading the operation to “purge” thousands of anti-regime figures imprisoned, Raisi was dubbed the “Butcher of Tehran.” He was involved in the mass execution of political prisoners, including members of the People’s Mujahedin of Iran (PMOI) who supported Iraq during the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988), with reports stating that about 5,000 people were executed during that time.
During the protests against the disputed presidential election in 2009, which lasted for months, Raisi played a prominent role in the violent crackdown. In 2019, he was sanctioned by the United States for human rights abuses.
Raisi ran for president in 2017 but lost to incumbent President Hassan Rouhani at the time. However, in 2019, he gained power by becoming the head of the judiciary and the deputy chairman of the Assembly of Experts leadership council. The Assembly of Experts is responsible for electing the next Supreme Leader and consists of 88 clerics.
In the 2021 presidential election, Raisi won with 61.9% of the vote, becoming Iran’s 8th president. Western media outlets criticize President Raisi for leading human rights abuses in Iran. In 2022, amid nationwide “Hijab protests” sparked by the suspicious death of 22-year-old student Mahsa Amini after being arrested for not properly wearing a hijab, the government cracked down violently, leading to an estimated 551 deaths and over 1,500 arrests, according to a UN Human Rights Council investigation.
Externally, President Raisi maintained a hardline stance, criticizing the U.S. and Western countries, continuing uranium enrichment for nuclear weapons development, and focusing on drone and missile advancements. He also carried out the first attack on Israeli territory in retaliation for an assault on the Iranian consulate in Syria during the Gaza conflict between Israeli and Palestinian militant groups.
As for the successor to the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, Raisi is mentioned as one of the likely candidates. His key support base comes from the conservative religious community. Raisi’s title “Seyyed” added to his name means a descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, earning him trust among Shia Muslims due to his religious background.
Amidst the current circumstances, speculation arose on social media about conspiracy theories as Raisi’s helicopter crashed while the other two carrying different officials safely returned. BBC reported that there were rumors about what might have caused the crash which led to this situation. The Economist noted that besides Raisi, Mustafa Hashemi, Hamenei’s son, was also considered as a potential successor to Hamenei.
At just 55 years old, Mustafa was groomed by Hamenei to succeed him. Although he does not hold any official position in the Iranian government, he absorbed his father’s economic base and gained power by directing key security organizations in Iran, such as the Revolutionary Guards and the Basij militia, from behind the scenes. In 2022, he was awarded the title “Ayatollah” like his father, which is a high-ranking title bestowed on senior Shia clerics.
Public support for Mustafa appears to be low within Iran; he avoids public visibility, causing his popularity to suffer. Additionally, controversies surround the issue of hereditary power succession among the Iranian people. The Wall Street Journal highlighted that while the 88 clerics on the Assembly of Experts are loyal to Hamenei, it is not certain if Mustafa will secure the majority of their votes.