London | Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, whose helicopter crashed in mountainous terrain on Sunday, has become a contender to be Iran’s next supreme leader with a clampdown on morality questions and a bloody crackdown on the nationwide protests it triggered.

Raisi claimed victory in an election in 2021, after heavyweight conservative and moderate rivals were disqualified by a hardline oversight body. The election 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.

Reuters