What Raisi’s death might mean for Iran

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who has been reported dead after the helicopter he was in crashed on 19 May 2024, is a consummate loyalist whose passing will be a severe blow to the country’s conservative leadership. While search and rescue teams – hampered by rain, fog, forests and mountains – searched for wreckage, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the nation “should pray” for Raisi.