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Three-minute read<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
On May 20, following the official announcement of the deaths of Iranian regime<\/a> president Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, along with several other high-ranking officials, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei swiftly made a public appearance. His aim was to reassure his supporters that the regime’s stability was not compromised. By outlining a prompt plan to replace the deceased officials, Khamenei conveyed<\/a> that the regime could move past this loss. This led many Iranian analysts to entertain various conspiracy theories, while Western experts speculated that the incident might have been an inside job orchestrated by the regime or factions within it.<\/span><\/p>\n Regardless of what the cause of the incident was, what is undeniable is that Raisi\u2019s death was a big blow to the investments that Khamenei had made over the past years.<\/span><\/p>\n In the Iranian regime, questions often outpace the availability of information. However, the recent history of Iran shows that Ebrahim Raisi<\/a> was the central figure in a decade-long project by the Supreme Leader to ensure the regime\u2019s survival through multiple internal and international crises.<\/span><\/p>\n Before the 2017 presidential election<\/a>, the regime was bolstering its regional and missile strategies using funds released by the JCPOA (2015 Iran nuclear deal) while secretly developing its nuclear project. Frustrated with the previous parliament and President Hassan Rouhani, Khamenei was determined to use the Guardian Council to install Raisi as president in the 2017 election. Raisi had previously been appointed to a lucrative financial and economic position at Astan Quds Razavi<\/a> by Khamenei himself.<\/span><\/p>\n Khamenei, having learned from his experiences with previous presidents Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Mohammad Khatami, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad<\/a>, and Hassan Rouhani, needed someone with minimal political weight and a heavy criminal record to avoid challenges to his hegemony and more importantly, to resolve the succession dilemma.<\/span><\/p>\n How #Iran<\/a>\u2019s Regime Entered Crisis Management Mode After #Raisi<\/a> Deathhttps:\/\/t.co\/pRgOQHAt3b<\/a><\/p>\n — NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) May 21, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\nThe Raisi Project<\/span><\/h3>\n
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