Media reports have cast the son of slain Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as a top candidate for supreme leader. A scholar of Iranian politics explains how the succession process has never been free or fair.
Articles on Iranian Supreme Leader
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Ali Khamenei’s son is known less for speeches or religious authority than for his influence and the networks he’s built behind the scenes.
Iran’s authorities have moved fast to show they are still in charge. But selecting a new supreme leader may take some time.
Khamenei will largely be remembered for the profound weakness his leadership brought the Islamic Republic.
The sudden death of Iran’s president, Ebrahim Raisi, has also sparked much speculation about the identity of the country’s next supreme leader.
Ebrahim Raisi held substantial sway over Iran’s domestic and foreign policies. So, how will the regime fill his void at a challenging time for the country?
Iran’s president and foreign minister killed in helicopter crash – we ask an expert what might happen next.
Ebrahim Raisi was declared the winner of Iran’s June 18 presidential election, which critics called rigged after his top opponents were disqualified.
The election result seems a foregone conclusion, but the country’s political future is far from certain.
11 activists have died in prison since Iran’s mass protests were crushed in January. Now, some detainees’ families are keeping a daily vigil outside jails. It’s a sign that unrest in Iran is not over.
Although the unrest that shocked Iran’s ruling elite appears to be over, there are several reasons to think this won’t be the last time disaffected citizens take to the streets.
Rouhani’s conservative rivals are exploiting growing pessimism about the economy, increasing the odds that someone more hostile to the West might become Iran’s next president.
The tentative Boeing jet deal prompted outrage among Republicans but barely a peep among Iran’s own conservatives, despite their aversion to warmer economic ties with the U.S.
The Iranian president will finally get a parliament that backs his reforms. But much still stands in his way.
Two of Iran’s more moderate political factions have joined together to make sure they’re not shut out of parliament.
The sanctions are being lifted, the economy is opening up – and Tehran’s conservatives are furious.
The nuclear deal may be signed, but the history of the Islamic regime shows they will continue to rely on external conflicts to consolidate power.
Top contributors
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Henry J. Leir Professor of Practice in Economics of the Middle East, Brandeis University
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Professor of International Politics, Clinton Institute, University College Dublin
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Assistant Professor of Modern Languages, University of Central Florida
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Assistant Professor of International Relations, University of Nottingham
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Professor in Global Thought and Comparative Philosophies, Inaugural Co-Director of Centre for AI Futures, SOAS, University of London
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Research Fellow, Middle East Studies, Deakin University
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Lecturer in Middle East Studies, Deakin University
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Director, Middle East Studies Forum (MESF), Deakin University
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Professor of Islamic Studies, Head of School, The Centre for Islamic Studies and Civilisation, Charles Sturt University
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Associate Professor of Politics and International Relations, Florida International University
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Professor of Sociology, Dartmouth College