Who is Iran’s hardline President Ebrahim Raisi?

Iran President Ebrahim Raisi’s helicopter was involved in what state TV described as a “hard landing.”

The incident occurred while Raisi was en route to Iran’s East Azerbaijan province. State TV reported that rescue teams were dispatched to the site of the accident.

Who is Raisi?

Raisi, 63, is a hard-liner who formerly led the country’s judiciary.

He is viewed as a potential successor of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Raisi, who is sanctioned by the US, won Iran’s 2021 presidential election, a vote that saw the lowest turnout in the Islamic Republic’s history.

Under his reign, Iran now enriches uranium at nearly weapons-grade levels and hampers international inspections.

Iran is believed to have armed Russia in its war on Ukraine, as well as launched a massive drone-and-missile attack on Israel amid its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

It also has continued arming proxy groups in the Middle East, like Yemen’s Houthi militants that have disrupted navigation routes in the Red Sea. Lebanon’s Hezbollah is one of the main allies of the Islamic Republic.

Raisi’s presidency has also witnessed massive protests that erupted in 2022 over the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, 22.

Amini, an Iranian Kurd, had been arrested for allegedly flouting the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code for women. Her death led to a wave on protests nationwide and abroad.