Iran Power Struggle Looms After President’s Death

TEHRAN, IRAN – MAY 20: People holding photos gathering at Valiasr Square mourn the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hussein Amir Abdollahian and other Iranian officials in a helicopter crash on Sunday in Iran, during a ceremony in Tehran on May 20, 2024. (Photo by Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images)

By Elaine Shannon

Elaine Shannon, contributing editor at The Cipher Brief, is a former correspondent for Time and Newsweek. Her latest book is Hunting LeRoux (Harper Collins, 2019).

By Tom Nagorski

Tom Nagorski is the Managing Editor for The Cipher Brief.  He previously served as Global Editor for Grid and served as ABC News Managing Editor for International Coverage as well as Senior Broadcast Producer for World News Tonight.

SUBSCRIBER+EXCLUSIVE REPORTING — Even before the body of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was found, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s 85-year-old Supreme Leader, tweeted an exhortation for calm. “The nation doesn’t need to be worried or anxious,” he said, “as the administration of the country will not be disrupted at all.”

No disruption at all. Put another way, the bland and repressive Raisi would not be missed, not even by his patron. 

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