Who Was Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi?

Ebrahim Raisi died following a chopper crash due to a bad weather.

Shocking news came from Iran last evening stating that President Ebrahim Raisi's helicopter crashed/hard landed due to bad weather. Now, it has been confirmed that Raisi died in the chopper crash. The weather has continued to remain bad that despite finding the location of the crash, the security forces are yet to find Raisi's body. The search operation is still underway while world leaders have expressed their shock and concern over the incident. "Deeply concerned by reports regarding President Raisi’s helicopter flight today. We stand in solidarity with the Iranian people in this hour of distress, and pray for well being of the President and his entourage," said PM Narendra Modi.

Who Is Ebrahim Raisi?

Ebrahim Raisi was 63 years old and held a prominent place in Iran's political landscape. He was long been touted as the natural successor to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. A Supreme Leader is the highest authority in Iran.

Ebrahim Raisi was considered a hardline and religiously conservative politician. He first contested the presidential election in 2017 but failed. Raisi was eventually elected four years later in 2021.

Early Life Of Ebrahim Raisi

Raisi began receiving early education from the Qom religious seminary at the age of 15. Raisi's sharp acumen got him first appointment as a prosecutor in his early 20s and after that, there was no looking back for him. He went to Tehran where he was appointed as a deputy prosecutor. Ebrahim Raisi got married to Jamileh Alamolhoda, the daughter of Mashhad’s Friday Prayer Imam Ahmad Alamolhoda, in 1983 and the couple has two daughters.

Raisi became infamous during his five-month-long deputation to a committee overseeing a series of executions of political prisoners. This made him unpopular among the Iranian opposition leaders besides inviting sanctions on him from the United States.

Ebrahim Raisi's Rise Through The Ranks

In 1989, following the death of Iran’s first Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, he was appointed as the prosecutor of Tehran. Under Khomeini's successor, Ayatollah Khamenei, Raisi continued to advance within the ranks. His appointment as chairman of the Astan Quds Razavi, the largest religious endowment in Mashhad, on March 7, 2016, solidified his prominent position within Iran's establishment.

He was elected Iran's President in 2021 after facing defeat in 2017. Raisi, as the President of Iran, weathered several controversies including standoff with Israel, United States and even domestic issues like that of Covid-19 and anti-Hijab protests.