As convenes for an emergency meeting after a helicopter accident involving , speculation over the consequences of the helicopter’s “hard landing” is rife across the Middle East.
Search and rescue teams continue to scour a fog-covered mountainous area after the helicopter with Raisi on board went missing in what state media is calling an accident.
Fears grow for the 63-year-old ultraconservative after contact was lost with the aircraft carrying him as well as Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and others in East Azerbaijan province.
But exactly who is Raisi, who came to power in 2021, replacing the moderate outgoing leader Hassan Rouhani, and what might happen in Iran and elsewhere in the wake of Sunday’s accident?
Strict upbringing
Born in 1960 into a strictly religious family in the country’s second-largest city, Mashhad, Ebrahim Raisi underwent extensive theological training and holds the title of hojatoleslam, which literally means “authority on Islam.” In Iran’s religious hierarchy, the position is second only to the ayatollah.
Raisi’s career began at the age of 20 in the wake of the 1979 Islamic Revolution when he was appointed prosecutor general of Karaj, a suburb of Tehran. It was the first of many positions he would hold in the judiciary. He later became a judge, and since 2019 has headed up the country’s judiciary.
Raisi’s time in power
Raisi is often seen as a frontrunner to succeed Ali Khamenei as Iran’s Supreme Leader. His presidency has seen a deadlock in nuclear negotiations with the United States over the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and large-scale unrest across the country at the end of 2022 following the death of , who died in custody after being detained by the morality police for allegedly improperly wearing a hijab.
, Iran also intensified its uranium enrichment and supported Russia over Moscow’s decision to invade Ukraine.
Last month, Iran launched a missile and drone attack on Israel amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza, as well as continuing to arm proxy groups such as Hezbollah and the Houthi movement.
Israel, with the help of the US, the UK, Jordan and others, intercepted nearly all the hundreds of missiles and drones.
The ongoing has drawn in other Iranian allies, with every move raising fears over a wider conflict.
that “Iran supports the legitimate defense of the Palestinian nation,” while praising the “resistance” efforts of Hamas.
What happens next?
According to Article 131 of Iran’s constitution, if a president dies while in office, the first vice president takes over, with the confirmation of the supreme leader.
A council consisting of the first vice president, the speaker of parliament and the head of the judiciary must then carry out an election for a new president within 50 days.
Whether Raisi’s fate will affect the stability in the region remains to be seen, but the West, among others, will be keeping a close eye on proceedings and how Iran responds.
Edited by: Sean M. Sinico
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