Ebrahim Raisi

Ebrahim Raisi
Born	Ebrahim Raisolsadati 14 12, 1960
Birthplace	Mashhad, Iran
Died	Template:Death date and age Near Uzi, East Azerbaijan Province, Iran
Nationality	Iranian
Occupation	Politician, jurist, cleric
Known for	8th President of Iran; involvement in 1988 executions of political prisoners
Children	2

Ebrahim Raisolsadati (14 December 1960 – 19 May 2024), known as Ebrahim Raisi, was an Iranian politician, Twelver Shia jurist, and cleric who served as the eighth President of Iran from August 2021 until his death in a helicopter crash in May 2024. A figure whose career was shaped by the institutions of the Islamic Republic, Raisi spent more than four decades in Iran's judicial and political apparatus, rising from a provincial prosecutor in his early twenties to the country's highest elected office. His trajectory placed him at the center of some of the most consequential and controversial episodes in the history of the Islamic Republic, including the mass execution of political prisoners in 1988, for which he was referred to by critics as the "Butcher of Tehran." Before ascending to the presidency, Raisi served as Chief Justice of Iran (2019–2021), Prosecutor-General (2014–2016), and Custodian of Astan Quds Razavi, one of the wealthiest religious endowments in the world. His presidency was marked by a crackdown on the Mahsa Amini protests of 2022, deadlocked negotiations over Iran's nuclear program, expanded ties with Russia and China, and Iran's direct military engagement with Israel during the Gaza war. Raisi died on 19 May 2024 when the helicopter carrying him crashed in mountainous terrain in East Azerbaijan Province while returning from a visit to the Iran–Azerbaijan border.

Early Life

Ebrahim Raisolsadati was born on 14 December 1960 in Mashhad, the capital of Razavi Khorasan Province in northeastern Iran and the site of the Imam Reza shrine, one of the holiest sites in Shia Islam. He was raised in a family with clerical connections in a city deeply rooted in Shia religious scholarship and pilgrimage. Raisi began his clerical studies at the age of 15, entering the Qom Seminary, the principal center of Shia theological education in Iran. His arrival in Qom coincided with a period of growing political unrest in Iran, as opposition to the Pahlavi monarchy intensified in the years preceding the 1979 Iranian Revolution.

The revolution, which culminated in the overthrow of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and the establishment of the Islamic Republic under Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, had a formative effect on Raisi's career. In the aftermath of the revolution, while still a young seminary student, Raisi was drawn into the new state's rapidly expanding judicial system. By his early twenties, he had been appointed to prosecutorial positions—an appointment pattern common in the early Islamic Republic, which relied heavily on young, loyal clerics to staff its revolutionary institutions.

Raisi served as a Sayyid, a title indicating descent from the Prophet Muhammad through Husayn ibn Ali, which conferred religious prestige in Iran's clerical hierarchy. His father-in-law, Ahmad Alamolhoda, would later become the Friday prayer leader of Mashhad and Grand Imam of the Imam Reza shrine, further cementing Raisi's position within Iran's religious and political elite.

Education

Raisi's formal education was centered on Islamic jurisprudence and theology. He studied at the Qom Seminary, where he trained under senior Shia clerics. He also attended Shahid Motahari University in Tehran, though the details and timeline of his academic credentials were subject to dispute. Iranian media, including BBC Persian, reported on questions surrounding the specifics of his academic qualifications, with some accounts questioning whether his claimed degrees were fully substantiated. Raisi held the clerical rank of Hujjat al-Islam, a mid-ranking title in the Shia clerical hierarchy below that of Ayatollah.

Career

Early Judicial Career

In the years immediately following the 1979 revolution, Raisi was appointed to a series of prosecutorial positions within Iran's judiciary. He served as Prosecutor of Karaj, followed by a posting as Prosecutor of Hamadan. He subsequently became Deputy Prosecutor and then Prosecutor of Tehran, the capital. These rapid appointments reflected the Islamic Republic's practice of entrusting young, ideologically committed clerics with significant judicial authority during a period of post-revolutionary consolidation.

1988 Mass Executions

Raisi's most controversial role in Iran's judicial system was his participation in what has been termed the "1988 Iran death commission." In the summer of 1988, following the end of the Iran–Iraq War, Grand Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa ordering the execution of political prisoners who remained loyal to opposition groups, particularly the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK). Commissions were established in prisons across Iran to interrogate inmates and determine their fate. Raisi served as a member of the Tehran branch of these commissions, which oversaw the execution of thousands of political prisoners over a period of several months.

The scale and nature of the 1988 executions made them one of the most significant human rights episodes in the history of the Islamic Republic. Estimates of the total number killed have varied, with some sources placing the figure in the thousands. Historian Ervand Abrahamian described the events as the Islamic Republic's "greatest crime." Raisi's involvement earned him the epithet "Butcher of Tehran" among Iranian dissidents, human rights organizations, and international media.

Amnesty International called for Raisi to be investigated for crimes against humanity, citing his role in the 1988 executions. The organization stated that his rise to the presidency "instead of being investigated for the crimes against humanity of murder, enforced disappearance and torture" represented a failure of accountability. United Nations special rapporteurs similarly accused Raisi of involvement in crimes against humanity in connection with the executions. Raisi himself never publicly expressed regret for his role in the proceedings and, on occasion, defended the actions taken.

Senior Judicial Posts

Following the 1988 executions, Raisi continued his ascent through the judiciary. He served as Chairman of the General Inspection Office from 1994 to 2004, a position to which he was appointed by then-Chief Justice Mohammad Yazdi. From 2004 to 2014, he served as First Deputy Chief Justice of Iran, working under Chief Justices Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi and Sadeq Larijani. In August 2014, Raisi was appointed Prosecutor-General of Iran (Attorney General), a position he held until April 2016.

Custodian of Astan Quds Razavi

In March 2016, Raisi was appointed Custodian and Chairman of Astan Quds Razavi, the charitable foundation (bonyad) that manages the Imam Reza shrine complex in Mashhad. Astan Quds Razavi is one of the wealthiest and most powerful religious endowments in Iran, controlling vast holdings in real estate, agriculture, and industry. The appointment elevated Raisi's national profile and placed him among the most influential figures in the Islamic Republic's economic and religious establishment. Raisi served in this role until 2019.

2017 Presidential Campaign

Raisi entered the 2017 Iranian presidential election as the principal conservative candidate, running under the banner of the Popular Front of Islamic Revolution Forces. His candidacy was supported by major figures in the Principlist (conservative) camp, and former Tehran mayor Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf withdrew from the race to consolidate conservative support behind Raisi.

During the campaign, Raisi focused on economic issues, criticizing the incumbent administration's handling of poverty and corruption. He also addressed the topic of international sanctions, stating that sanctions should be viewed as an opportunity for self-reliance. He also called for the further Islamization of universities.

Raisi lost the election to the moderate incumbent, Hassan Rouhani, receiving approximately 38 percent of the vote to Rouhani's 57 percent. Following his defeat, Raisi was appointed by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to the Expediency Discernment Council in August 2017.

Chief Justice of Iran

In March 2019, Supreme Leader Khamenei appointed Raisi as the seventh Chief Justice of Iran, succeeding Sadeq Larijani. As Chief Justice, Raisi oversaw the judiciary during a period of significant internal unrest, including the November 2019 protests that erupted across Iran over fuel price increases. His First Deputy was Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i, who would succeed him in the role. Raisi served as Chief Justice until July 2021, when he resigned to assume the presidency.

Presidency (2021–2024)

Raisi won the June 2021 presidential election with approximately 63 percent of the vote, in a contest marked by historically low voter turnout and the disqualification of several prominent candidates by the Guardian Council. He succeeded Hassan Rouhani and took office on 3 August 2021, with Mohammad Mokhber serving as his First Vice President.

Amnesty International responded to his election by reiterating its call for an investigation into his role in the 1988 executions, stating that his assumption of the presidency represented a continuation of impunity for serious human rights violations.

Nuclear Negotiations and Foreign Policy

Raisi's presidency coincided with a prolonged deadlock in negotiations with the United States over the revival of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the 2015 nuclear agreement from which the U.S. had withdrawn under President Donald Trump in 2018. Under Raisi's government, Iran intensified its uranium enrichment activities and placed restrictions on international inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

In foreign affairs, Raisi's government pursued closer relations with Russia and China, joining both the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and the BRICS grouping of emerging economies. Iran provided military support to Russia during its invasion of Ukraine, including the supply of drones. Iran also launched direct missile and drone attacks against Israel during the Israel–Hamas war and continued to arm proxy groups, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthi movement in Yemen.

Mahsa Amini Protests

The most significant domestic crisis of Raisi's presidency was the wave of protests that swept Iran beginning in September 2022, triggered by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini on 16 September 2022 while in the custody of Iran's morality police. The protests, which spread across the country under the slogan "Woman, Life, Freedom," represented the largest challenge to the Islamic Republic since the 2009 Green Movement. Raisi's government oversaw a severe crackdown on the protesters, with security forces using lethal force, mass arrests, and internet shutdowns to suppress the movement. Hundreds of people were killed and thousands arrested during the unrest.

Assembly of Experts

In addition to his executive and judicial roles, Raisi served as a member of the Assembly of Experts, the clerical body responsible for selecting and overseeing the Supreme Leader. He was first elected to represent South Khorasan Province in the 2006 election, receiving 200,906 votes (69 percent). He was re-elected in the 2016 election with 325,139 votes (80 percent) and held the seat until his death.

Death

On 19 May 2024, Raisi died when the helicopter carrying him crashed in mountainous terrain near the village of Uzi in East Azerbaijan Province. Raisi had been returning from a visit to the Iran–Azerbaijan border, where he had participated in the inauguration of a dam project with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. The helicopter encountered heavy fog in the mountainous region. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and several other officials were also killed in the crash.

Following Raisi's death, First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber assumed the role of acting president. A presidential election was subsequently held, resulting in the election of Masoud Pezeshkian as Raisi's successor. Raisi was buried at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi later stated in a 2025 interview that Iran was relieved to determine that Israel had not been behind the crash, saying "Thank God" it became clear the crash was not the result of an attack.

Personal Life

Raisi was married to Jamileh Alamolhoda, the daughter of Ahmad Alamolhoda, the Friday prayer leader of Mashhad and Grand Imam of the Imam Reza shrine. The couple had two children. The connection to the Alamolhoda family, one of the most prominent clerical families in Mashhad, reinforced Raisi's standing within Iran's religious establishment. He held the clerical title of Hujjat al-Islam and the honorific Sayyid, denoting claimed descent from the Prophet Muhammad.

Raisi was a member of the Combatant Clergy Association, a conservative political organization of Iranian clerics. He had earlier been affiliated with the Islamic Republican Party until its dissolution in 1987.

Recognition

Raisi's career generated sharply divergent assessments. Within Iran's governing establishment, he was promoted through a succession of powerful judicial and executive positions by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who appointed him to the Chief Justice position and publicly supported his presidential candidacy. Following his death, state-organized funeral ceremonies drew large crowds in several Iranian cities, and he was interred at the Imam Reza shrine, one of the most revered sites in Shia Islam.

Internationally, Raisi was the subject of sustained criticism from human rights organizations. Amnesty International called for his investigation for crimes against humanity in connection with the 1988 mass executions, describing the charges as encompassing "murder, enforced disappearance and torture." United Nations special rapporteurs also accused him of involvement in the 1988 killings. The European Union and the United States had sanctioned Raisi in connection with human rights abuses prior to his presidency.

Legacy

Raisi's death at 63 removed a figure who had been identified by analysts and media as a potential successor to the 85-year-old Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. His decades-long proximity to Khamenei, his membership on the Assembly of Experts—the body constitutionally responsible for selecting the Supreme Leader—and his service in the highest judicial and executive offices had made him a focal point of speculation about Iran's leadership succession.

His legacy remains deeply contested. For supporters within the Islamic Republic's establishment, Raisi represented continuity with the revolutionary ideals of 1979 and the authority of the clerical system. For critics, both inside and outside Iran, his career was defined by his participation in the 1988 executions and by the suppression of dissent during the 2022 protests. Amnesty International's characterization of his presidency as a symbol of impunity for serious human rights violations reflected a broader international consensus among rights organizations that accountability for the 1988 executions was never achieved during his lifetime.

The question of whether Israel or another foreign actor played a role in Raisi's death generated speculation in Iran. Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi publicly expressed relief in 2025 that the crash was not the result of an Israeli operation, while at least one Iranian official offered a personal analysis suggesting Israeli involvement, though without presenting evidence. No international investigation confirmed any act of sabotage.

Raisi's death led to a snap presidential election in which Masoud Pezeshkian, a reformist-leaning candidate, was elected—an outcome that some analysts attributed in part to the political vacuum left by the loss of Khamenei's presumed preferred successor.