Iran's leader will be replaced by another Ayatollah loyalist

On Sunday, Ebrahim Raisi, president of the Islamic Republic, died in a helicopter crash in Iran's Varzaqan region.

- CAMELIA ENTEKHABIFARD

But what was initially a huge shock is now gradually giving way to planning and crisis management. It was more than 40 years ago when Mohammad Javad Bahonar and Mohammad Hossein Rajaei, then prime minister and president, were assassinated. The government has not had another domestic crisis – until now.

Raisi, 63, died alongside Iran’s foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and two senior local officials on board the helicopter, the state-run IRNA news agency reported. Speculation has been fierce since: mainly surrounding what Ayatollah Khamenei and his inner circle – of which Raisi was a part – were plotting for the post-Khamenei era and what they had decided.

After all, the first step in planning for the succession of the supreme leader (and for uniformity in the government) was taken three years ago with the presidential elections. This was when Raisi was handed the presidency without any rivals, due to Khamenei’s approval and support. But what does Khamenei really want? He’s an 85-year-old man. His health (and the progress of his cancer) is in question. Rumours abound that he wants a government entirely to his taste – and to decide on the next leader before he dies.