Ebrahim Raisi

Ebrahim Raisi, the current president of Iran, was born on December 14, 1960, in the Noghan district of Mashhad. He was born into a clerical family, and his father passed away when he was 5 years old.

In 1975, Ebrahim Raisi began his education at 'Ayatollah Boroujerdi School' in Qom Seminary, as part of his academic journey in Islamic studies.

In 1976, he continued his studies at the Ayatollah Borujerdi school in Qom, where he was a student of prominent religious figures.

In 1981, he was appointed as the prosecutor of Karaj, marking the beginning of his judicial career.

In 1985, he was appointed as the Deputy prosecutor of Tehran, a significant position in the Iranian judiciary.

The 1988 executions of Iranian political prisoners were a series of state-sponsored executions of political prisoners across Iran, lasting for approximately five months. The majority of those killed were supporters of the People's Mujahedin of Iran, although supporters of other leftist factions were executed as well. The exact number of prisoners executed remains a point of contention, with estimates ranging from thousands to over 30,000. The killings have been described as a political purge without precedent in modern Iranian history.

Ebrahim Raisi became chairman of Astan Quds Razavi on 7 March 2016 after the death of his predecessor Abbas Vaez-Tabasi, a position which he stayed in until 2019. His responsibilities included serving the pilgrims of the holy shrine, especially poor people, and also serving the nearby poor and dispossessed.

On 14 April 2017, Ebrahim Raisi registered at the Ministry of Interior, emphasizing the importance of performing citizenship rights beyond mere rhetoric.

On 15 May 2017, conservative candidate Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf withdrew his candidacy in favor of Raisi, sparking speculation about potential roles in Raisi's administration.

In 2019, Ebrahim Raisi was identified as a likely successor to Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, by various sources, indicating his potential influence in the country's political landscape.

In 2020, Ebrahim Raisi continued to be mentioned as a potential successor to Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, underscoring his prominence in discussions about the country's future leadership.

Ebrahim Raisi became the eighth and current president of Iran on August 3, 2021, after being elected in the 2021 election. He is known as a Principlist politician and Muslim jurist.

On 11 August, Ebrahim Raisi presented nominations for his cabinet, including the appointment of Ahmad Vahidi as Minister of Interior, which was strongly condemned by Argentina and Israel due to Vahidi's alleged involvement in the 1994 AMIA bombing in Buenos Aires.

After the fall of Kabul to the Taliban, Ebrahim Raisi expressed Iran's support for stabilizing Afghanistan and called for the formation of an inclusive government.

On 20 August, Ebrahim Raisi appointed former Minister of Culture Mohammad Hosseini as Vice President for Parliamentary Affairs.

18 out of 19 of Ebrahim Raisi's cabinet picks were approved by the Islamic Consultative Assembly on 25 August, except for Hossein Baghgoli, whom Raisi had chosen as the Minister of Education.

On 1 September, Ebrahim Raisi appointed former president of Al-Zahra University Ensieh Khazali as Vice President for Women and Family Affairs and Mohammad Dehghan as Vice President for Legal Affairs.

Raisi urged the holding of elections in Afghanistan to elect a new government as soon as possible.

On 5 September, Ebrahim Raisi appointed Meysam Latifi as Vice President and Head of the Administrative and Recruitment Affairs Organization, and Sowlat Mortazavi as Vice President for Executive Affairs and Head of the Presidential Administration.

Amir-Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi was appointed as a Vice President and the Head of the Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs on 12 September.

Protests erupted on 17 September after the death of Mahsa Amini, leading to unrest all over the country. President Raisi promised to set up a commission to investigate the murder, but this did not affect the protests.

Raisi stated that Iran will not allow the establishment of any terrorist group, including the Islamic State, along its border with Afghanistan and called on the Taliban to form an inclusive government.

In a pre-recorded speech before the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly on 21 September, Ebrahim Raisi stated that Iran wanted to resume talks over its nuclear programme and criticized the United States' sanctions on Iran as unjust.

Raisi pledged alliance in favor of Russia when the conflict surrounding the Russo-Ukrainian War started.

Raisi warned that Iran's armed forces would target Israel if it made any aggressive moves against Iran.

During an interview, Raisi denounced the Abraham Accords, called Israel a 'false regime', and questioned the Holocaust.

Raisi visited China and met Chinese leader Xi Jinping, resulting in the signing of 20 cooperation agreements and an agreement to boost relations between the two countries.

Following a deal brokered by China, Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to restore diplomatic ties that were cut in 2016.