Ebrahim Raisi

**Ebrahim Raisi** (; 14 December 1960 – 19 May 2024) was an Iranian politician, jurist and cleric. Raisi was the 8th President of Iran from 2021 until his death in 2024. He was the Chief Justice from 2019 until 2021. He was a member of the Assembly of Experts from 2007 until his death.

In his early career, Raisi was in many positions in Iran's judicial system, including as Deputy Prosecutor and Prosecutor of Tehran. For his role on the so-called death committee during the 1988 executions of Iranian political prisoners, people called him the "Butcher of Tehran". He was sanctioned by the United States. He was accused of crimes against humanity by international human rights organizations and the United Nations.

He registered for the presidential election held on 19 May 2017, losing against Hassan Rouhani. He ran again for the presidency in 2021 and won the election due to a large amount of people voting for him. During Raisi's term, Iran increased uranium enrichment, stopped international inspections, and supported Russia in its invasion of Ukraine. Iran also launched a missile and drone attack on Israel during the Gaza conflict and continued supporting militant groups like Hezbollah and the Houthi movement. Until his death, Raisi was seen as a possible replacement to be Iran's supreme leader.

## Presidency
In 2021, Raisi ran again for the presidency and won the election. The election had a 48.8% turnout, and 63% went to Raisi. 

Raisi was appointed the president of Iran on 3 August 2021. During his inauguration speech, Raisi said that his government would find ways to remove the sanctions on Iran by the United States. He was sworn-in before the Islamic Consultative Assembly on 5 August. In his speech, he said that Iran was actually responsible for stabilising the Middle East. He also promised that he would try to improve the quality of life for Iranians and defend human rights.

After the fall of Kabul to the Taliban, Raisi said on 16 August 2021 that the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan offered a chance for stabilising the country, which Iran would support. He also called on all parties to form an inclusive government. On 4 September, he urged that elections be held to elect a new Afghan government as soon as possible.

In April 2022, Raisi warned that Israel would be targeted by his country's armed forces if it made "the slightest move" against Iran. During an interview in September of that year, he criticized the Abraham Accords and called Israel a "false regime". 

On 17 September 2022, protests erupted after the death of Mahsa Amini, and unrest spread all over the country. President Raisi promised to set up a commission to investigate the murder, but this did not affect the protests; law-enforcement agencies were allegedly retreating from small cities due to uncontrollable rioting.

Raisi supported Hamas' 7 October attacks on Israel. He disapproved of Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip during the Israel–Hamas war and accused Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza "with the support of the United States and certain European countries."

### Political views 
As to politics, Raisi had very conservative views. During his time in office, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action saw a deadlock with the United States. There were large-scale protests after the death of Mahsa Amini, in September 2022.  spread all over the country. President Raisi promised to set up a commission to investigate the murder, but this did not affect the protests, as law-enforcement agencies are allegedly retreating from small cities due to uncontrollable rioting.

He supported the idea that men and women should not mix. He also supported the idea of killing criminals as a punishment for crime. He thought that Islamization of universities, and controlling what could be looked at on the internet were good ideas. He was against western values.

In state-led media, Raisi said that "no one has the right to violate the freedom and rights of girls and women" and "it is incomplete to talk about culture and economy without the role of women". He emphasized that "women's rights are God-given, and the government should not only not lose this right, but it should also create the conditions for it to flourish" and "in many spaces, women's role-playing is empty and women's talent, creativity, initiative and innovation can be used a lot".

Raisi signed orders creating stricter hijab restrictions for women in Iran.

Because he also had some responsibility in the 1988 executions of Iranian political prisoners, an UN tribunal accused him of crimes against humanity.

## Potential successor as Supreme Leader 
Raisi had been described as "a favorite and possible successor" to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, by several sources. In 2019, Saeid Golkar of Al Jazeera called Raisi "the most likely successor of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei" as Supreme Leader of Iran. 

In 2024, *Time* magazine reported that both Ebrahim Raisi and Mojtaba Khamenei, Khamenei's son, were frontrunners for the position.

## Death 
On 19 May 2024, Raisi was killed when his helicopter crashed near the town of Julfa, on the border with Azerbaijan. Several high-ranking Iranian officials travelled in the helicopter. One of them was foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian who also died in the crash. Raisi is the second President of Iran to have died in office, following Mohammad-Ali Rajai, who died in a bombing in 1981.

## References 
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