Ebrahim Raisi, Iran's hardline leader: From Presidency to tragic end in helicopter crash

Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi, considered a hard-liner and a potential successor to the supreme leader, died in a helicopter crash in a mountainous northwestern region, Iranian media reported. Raisi, who previously ran Iran's judiciary and faced U.S. sanctions over his role in the 1988 mass executions, became president in 2021 in an election with historically low turnout. As president, he supported Iran's uranium enrichment and aggressive foreign policy, including attacks on Israel.