Iranians choose a president on Friday in a tightly controlled election following Ebrahim Raisi's death in a helicopter crash last month, with the outcome expected to influence the succession of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's top decision-maker.
With Iran's supreme leader now age 85, it is likely that the next president will be closely involved in the eventual process of choosing a successor to Khamenei, who has ensured candidates sharing his hard-line views dominate the presidential contest. The election coincides with escalating regional tensions due to the Israel-Hamas conflict, increased Western pressure on Iran over its rapidly advancing nuclear program, and growing domestic dissent over political, social, and economic crises.
However, the looming succession of the fiercely anti-Western Khamenei is the overriding concern among Iran's clerical elite. The Guardian Council, a hard-line vetting body of clerics and jurists aligned to Khamenei, has approved five hard-line candidates and one low-profile moderate one from an initial pool of 80.
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