Raisi was a hardliner and was thought to be a strong contender to succeed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Age is not on Khamenei’s side, despite the fact that he has the final say over Iran’s nuclear program and foreign policy.
He desperately needs younger leaders to right the Iranian ship, as he is 85 years old. Raisi passed only a few weeks after Israel and Iran engaged in a tit-for-tat exchange of missile and drone strikes during a frontal confrontation.Due to Iran’s assistance to Hamas, whose October 7 strike sparked a severe Israeli counterattack that devastated Gaza, Iran has also been targeted by Israel.
Source: BusinessLIVE
While Khamenei has appointed First Vice-President Mohammad Mokhber as the acting President and attempted to reassure Iranians that state affairs would not be disrupted, the West and other parties, including India, would be closely monitoring any potential power struggle within Iran.
Raisi’s pet project, the 10-year contract to operate the strategically important port of Chabahar, Iran, was just inked last week by New Delhi and Tehran. The Chabahar deal, according to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is a significant turning point that will improve trade connections to the landlocked nations of Afghanistan and Central Asia. India has been fortifying its ties with Iran despite the possibility of US sanctions.
Source: NBC News
After building a strong relationship with Prime Minister Modi, Raisi asked for his assistance in accelerating Iran’s membership in the BRICS alliance. Eventually, Iran was accepted into the original alliance consisting of South Africa, Brazil, Russia, India, and China. India will be hoping to establish a similar rapport with Raisi’s replacement.
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