Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian along with 7 others tragically died in a helicopter crash. The crash occurred in the foggy Dizmar forest in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province, and the circumstances surrounding it remain unclear.
Raisi and Amirabdollahian were returning to the northern city of Tabriz after visiting Iran’s border with Azerbaijan to participate in the inauguration of a dam alongside the president of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev. Read on to find out who was Ebrahim Raisi and his term as the president of Iran.
Early Years
Born in 1960 in Mashhad, Iran’s second-largest city, Ebrahim Raisi grew up in a devoutly religious family. He pursued extensive theological education and achieved the title of hojatol – eslam, meaning “authority on Islam,” a rank just below that of an Ayatollah in Iran’s religious hierarchy.
At around 18 years old, following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Raisi quickly climbed the ranks of power. By the age of 20, he was appointed prosecutor general of Karaj, a suburb of Tehran, and later became deputy prosecutor for all of Tehran.
In 1983, Ebrahim Raisi married Jamileh Alamolhoda, the daughter of Ahmad Alamolhoda, Mashhad’s Friday Prayer Imam. The couple has two daughters.
In 1988, Raisi was involved in a committee responsible for overseeing the execution of political prisoners for five months. This role made him unpopular among the Iranian opposition and led to U.S. sanctions against him. Following the death of Iran’s first Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in 1989, Raisi was appointed as Tehran’s prosecutor.
Raisi’s ascent continued under Khomeini’s successor, Ayatollah Khamenei. On March 7, 2016, he was appointed chairman of Astan Quds Razavi, the largest religious endowment in Mashhad, further solidifying his position within Iran’s political and religious establishment.
After serving as Tehran’s prosecutor, Ebrahim Raisi became the head of Iran’s inspection organization, a position he held for ten years. He then spent another decade as the prosecutor general of the Special Court for the Clergy in Iran.
Road To Presidency
Ebrahim Raisi first ran for president in 2017, challenging the incumbent Hassan Rouhani, who had been instrumental in negotiating Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. This agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), limited Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of sanctions. Raisi, a critic of the JCPOA, represented a more hardline faction than Rouhani, who was considered a moderate within Iran’s political spectrum.
In February 2019, Raisi was appointed head of Iran’s judiciary by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. He ran for president again in June 2021 and won 62 percent of the vote. However, the election saw a low turnout of 48.8 percent.
By the time of Raisi’s election, the JCPOA had collapsed after the United States, under President Donald Trump, unilaterally withdrew from the agreement and reimposed sanctions on Iran, which severely impacted the country’s economy.
Presidential Career Wins
During Ebrahim Raisi’s presidency, Iran faced significant public discontent over a declining standard of living, largely due to sanctions and criticisms that the government prioritized defense over domestic issues. In late 2022, widespread protests erupted following the death of Mahsa Amini, who had been detained for allegedly violating Iran’s strict dress code for women.
Angered by the U.S. stance on the JCPOA and the failure of other signatories to salvage the agreement, Raisi declared that Iran would enhance its nuclear program, though he insisted it was not pursuing a nuclear weapon. Under his leadership, Iran increased its uranium enrichment and backed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In March 2023, Iran and Saudi Arabia, historically regional adversaries, unexpectedly restored diplomatic relations. Despite this, Raisi’s foreign policy generally remained confrontational, particularly with Israel. Tensions escalated as Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza, nearing its eighth month, drew strong condemnation from Iran and its allies in the “axis of resistance.”
In early April, an Israeli strike on the Iranian consular building in Damascus killed seven people, including a high-ranking commander. The world closely watched Iran’s reaction, which came on April 15 with a significant missile and drone attack on Israel. According to Israeli military sources, the assault involved over 120 ballistic missiles, 170 drones, and 30 cruise missiles.
In a call with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina last April, President Raisi expressed a desire to expand trade with Dhaka. A few months later, the Maldives reestablished formal diplomatic relations with Iran after a seven-year hiatus.
Earlier this year, Ebrahim Raisi visited Pakistan, where he and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif committed to increasing trade between their countries to $10 billion annually. Raisi’s visit to Islamabad lasted three days and took place under tight security.
Raisi also visited Sri Lanka, marking the first visit by an Iranian president to the island nation in 16 years. During his brief stay, Raisi expressed Iran’s readiness to strengthen ties with Sri Lanka and other Asian countries. The visit resulted in the signing of five Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs). Raisi also inaugurated a $514 million hydro power project, pledging Iran’s support for Sri Lankan development projects through the provision of technical and engineering services.
Hossein Amirabdollahian, Iran’s foreign minister
The top Iranian diplomat, Hossein Amirabdollahian, who was with President Raisi in the helicopter crash, has played a crucial role in reorienting Iran’s foreign policy from Western engagement to strengthening relations with regional neighbors. Amirabdollahian, 60, has held various positions in the Iranian Foreign Ministry since 1997, including ambassador to Bahrain and deputy foreign minister for Arab and African affairs.
Raisi appointed him as foreign minister in 2021. Amirabdollahian was instrumental in restoring diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia through a Chinese-brokered agreement, and he visited Saudi Arabia in 2023, marking a significant thaw in relations.
Following the outbreak of the war in Gaza, Amirabdollahian has traveled extensively across the Middle East, coordinating with allies such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and communicating Iran’s positions to regional countries. He holds a PhD in international relations from the University of Tehran.
What’s Next For Iran
Under the Iranian constitution, if the president dies, the country’s first vice president, currently Mohammad Mokhber, will assume the role of temporary president. A new presidential election must be held within 50 days.
Mokhber, 68, is a former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officer and is considered close to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. He is expected to maintain the current foreign and domestic policies. Following the death of Amirabdollahian, Ali Bagheri Kani has been appointed as Iran’s Acting Foreign Minister.
Sources: Al Jazeera, DW News, Reuters, Foreign Policy
