The death of the president changes the power dynamic in Iran
The supreme leader’s son may be the beneficiary
Had the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, looked a touch less steely when delivering his eulogy, more Iranians might have believed the demise of his president was just an accident. Even Mr Khamenei’s officials contrasted his perfunctory manner towards the deaths of Ebrahim Raisi and Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Iran’s foreign minister, in a helicopter crash on May 19th with the supreme leader’s uncontrollable sobbing after the assassination of his top commander, Qassem Suleimani, four years ago.
Explore more
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “The battle for control”
Middle East & Africa May 25th 2024
- The death of the president changes the power dynamic in Iran
- A death, an illness, and an uncertain Middle East
- The revolt against Binyamin Netanyahu
- How many people have died in Gaza?
- The ICC’s threat to arrest Binyamin Netanyahu has shocked Israel
- A live-streamed attempted coup in Congo shakes the region
- Chinese weapons are taking over in Africa
From the May 25th 2024 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Middle East & Africa
Hamas’s pick of Yahya Sinwar as leader makes a ceasefire less likely
The appointment of the architect of October 7th ties the group closer to Iran
The Middle East braces for wider war as Iran weighs its response
After Israeli strikes, America is rushing troops to the region and airlines are steering clear
Ethiopia is in the midst of a kidnapping epidemic
As the government hails a new IMF deal, lawlessness is spreading
Somaliland’s camel herders are milking it
Commercial dairies are scaling up an old trade
Will Hamas turn from war to politics?
The assassination of its political leader poses a string of dilemmas
Israeli strikes on Beirut and Tehran could intensify a regional war
At the very least, they will delay talks over a ceasefire in Gaza