Eye on the Middle East | Ebrahim Raisi’s death ends a troubled presidency; rattles Iran’s leadership succession plan

Besides the death of Raisi, foreign minister Hossein Abdollahian’s death takes out another skilled diplomat well-seasoned in engaging key neighbours

Elected as the President of Iran in 2021, Sayyid Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash in Northwestern Iran on Sunday. The crash also killed Iran’s foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, along with two other senior officials. As Tehran enters a five-day mourning period, with ceremonies at the Imam Raza Shrine in Mashhad, Raisi’s death marks the abrupt end of a career marked by hardline conservatism, prospects of being Ali Khamenei’s successor as Iran’s Supreme Leader, and a quiet fall from

People hold up posters of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi during a mourning ceremony for him at Vali-e-Asr square in downtown Tehran, Iran, (AP)