Analyst says Iranian president’s death is ‘major loss’ and his successor must be conservative

Iranian analyst Ghoncheh Tazmini considered the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash on Sunday an “important loss” on Tuesday, believing his successor will continue to belong to the conservative wing.

The analyst, author of several books on Iranian history and visiting fellow at the Middle East Center at the London School of Economics, also noted that the late president had “unwavering loyalty to the Supreme Leader” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Given his characteristics as a “diligent and straightforward statesman” as well as a “diplomatic and cautious character”, Raisi was “reliable to the regime to such an extent that he was considered a potential candidate for the post of Supreme Leader in the post-Khamenei era.” “That’s why his loss is important,” he stressed to Lusa.