Raisi’s victory in an election in 2021, after heavyweight conservative and moderate rivals were disqualified by a hardline oversight body, brought all branches of power under the control of hardliners loyal to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Raisi’s 85-year-old mentor, who has the final say on all major policies. Raisi, 63, took a tough stance in now-moribund negotiations with six major powers to revive a 2015 nuclear deal, seeing a chance to win broad relief from U.S. sanctions in return for only modest curbs on Iran’s increasingly advanced nuclear programme.

Source: The North Africa Journal May 19, 2024 19:16 UTC