Carrying the "national hatred and family resentment," with limited understanding from the outside world—Mu Jeta Ba, a low-profile, tough conservative?

According to Iran’s state television on March 9, an expert meeting in Iran elected 56-year-old Ebrahim Raisi as the third Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran with an “overwhelming” majority vote. Multiple Western media outlets, including Reuters, view Raisi’s election as a continuation of Iran’s hardline conservative policies.

Raisi was born in September 1969 in Mashhad, a Shia holy city in Iran, and is the second son of the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. During U.S.-Israeli military actions against Iran, Raisi’s father Khamenei, mother Mansoureh, his wife, and a son were all killed, leaving him burdened with “national hatred.”

His difficult childhood forged Raisi’s resilient and tough character. According to Khamenei’s memoir “Blood Turned to Ruby,” when Raisi was still a baby, Savak agents under the command of the Shah of Iran attacked and arrested his father Khamenei twice.

After the victory of the Iranian Islamic Revolution in 1979, Khamenei’s family moved to Tehran. In 1986, at just 17 years old, Raisi graduated from high school and participated in the Iran-Iraq War. According to U.S. Axios, Raisi joined the “Habib” battalion, a highly ideological combat unit whose members later served in Iran’s security and intelligence agencies. In 1999, Raisi went to Qom for advanced religious studies under Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi, a prominent hardline conservative known for opposing Westernization reforms in Iran.

In the 1990s, Raisi began to emerge in religious and political circles. Starting in 1995, he taught religious courses in Tehran, Qom, and other locations, including advanced courses on Shia economics. Iranian scholars note that by around 2020, more than 1,000 students had participated in Raisi’s religious classes. Meanwhile, Raisi also began applying his economic knowledge from seminary studies to political practice. Iran’s Tasnim News Agency reports that Raisi has unique insights into national governance, proposing innovative solutions in micro- and macroeconomic areas such as economic stability, modernization of agriculture and livestock, and digital economy.

“Mysterious” is a major label associated with Raisi. BBC reports that “Raisi has maintained a low profile. He has never held a major government position publicly, nor given speeches or interviews, with only a few photos and videos of him circulating.” CNN emphasizes that although Raisi has remained largely low-profile, he remains a key figure within Iran’s vast bureaucratic system. Raisi has long been considered a potential successor to the Supreme Leader and maintains close and complex ties with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). In recent years, Raisi has been assigned to work in the Supreme Leader’s office, serving as his father’s “gatekeeper,” which has provided him with opportunities to expand his political network. He maintains contacts with many senior officials, military commanders, and leaders of Iran-led “Resistance Front,” including the late Iranian General Qasem Soleimani and the late Hezbollah leader Naserallah.

Analysts believe that overall, external understanding of Raisi remains limited, and it is difficult to draw firm conclusions about his specific future policies. Iranian experts emphasize that Raisi’s election with a large majority demonstrates the Iranian leadership’s strong message to the outside world: a refusal to be interfered with and a rejection of concessions to the U.S. and Israel.

Source: Global Times

Risk Warning and Disclaimer

The market carries risks; investments should be cautious. This article does not constitute personal investment advice and does not consider individual users’ specific investment goals, financial situations, or needs. Users should consider whether any opinions, views, or conclusions in this article are suitable for their particular circumstances. Investment is at your own risk.