Ibrahim Raisi, the ultra-religious president who sparked protests and strengthened Iran’s nuclear program.

He was elected as Iran’s president in 2021 and has sparked the largest number of protests against the government in decades. Ebrahim Raisi, 63, was born into an ultra-religious and conservative family in the city of Mashhad. Since taking office as Iran’s head of state, he has been the target of numerous sanctions due to his involvement in issues that call into question human rights. This Sunday he was the victim of a helicopter crash near Azerbaijan, his condition is still unknown.

Accelerated the country’s nuclear program

As Iran’s head of state, he oversaw a strategy to expand the country’s regional influence by accelerating its nuclear program. According to the TV channel Al Arabiya, Iran is believed to have armed Russia in its war against Ukraine and carried out drone and missile attacks on Israel during the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Before becoming president, the Iranian worked in the justice sector. He was a prosecutor and eventually rose through the ranks of the judiciary when he was appointed Chief Justice of Iran. During this time he is believed to have been part of a small committee that ordered the execution of more than five thousand political opponents in 1988. , at the end of the Iran-Iraq war.

Failed in the first elections

Ebrahim Raisi ran for the presidential election in 2017 but lost. In 2021, with the lowest participation rate in Iran’s history, Raisi won the election, the newspaper reported. AP News.

The mandate sparked protests

During Ibrahim Raisi’s mandate, the Iranian population organized several demonstrations against the regime. Let us remind you that 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini was killed after being detained by Iranian authorities for incorrectly wearing a hijab. Amini’s death sparked a wave of protests that were brutally punished by Iranian security forces.

Ibrahim Raisi is being considered as a possible successor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as supreme leader, the highest political and religious position in the Islamic Republic, reports The newspaper “New York Times.

Accident victim

Today, The helicopter carrying Ebrahim Raisi crashed in the mountainous Varzakan region of Iran. The accident occurred when the president was returning from the opening ceremony of a dam on the border between Iran and Azerbaijan. This may have happened due to bad weather.

If Ebrahim Raisi dies, according to the constitution of the Islamic Republic, this position will be filled by the country’s vice president.