Iranian President Raisi died in a helicopter crash in May. Iran was unable to find the location of Raisi’s crash, but asked Turkey for help, and Akıncı Tiha discovered the crash site. The accident report stated that the accident was caused by bad weather, and the Tehran government also said that no traces of assassination were found on the emir’s burned body.
Iran will elect a new president in June, and one of the candidates is former Revolutionary Guards commander Vahid Haganian, who is on a special list due to US sanctions. Israeli media reports recalled that Haganian, who was officially one of the candidates, was one of the closest “former” aides to religious leader Ayatollah Khamenei. In addition to Haganian, a total of 17 candidates have filed to run, including former female lawmaker Zohre Elahian. Iranian state media has called Haganian “Khamenei’s invisible hand.” Local media reports claim that Haganian’s reasons for running are “personal.”
Who are the Haganians?
Haganian, who met with Khamenei in the 1980s, joined the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in 1984 and soon commanded the IRGC’s security patrols in Tehran, known as the “Salala Patrols.” During this period, Haganian served as the driver for Abdullah Jasbi, a member of the Islamic Republican Central Council, and shortly thereafter became Ali Khamenei’s driver.
“Dark Record”
Iranian media also published various details about Haganian under the headline “His Dark Record.” Considered the “number one enemy” of Iran’s opposition, Haganian is even more popular than Khamenei’s son and is said to be one of the leading candidates in the elections.
If elected, the election may be cancelled
If Haganian or a female candidate wins, the Iranian election will most likely be canceled because the final decision maker, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has the power to not recognize the election results. Khamenei is the leader responsible not only for the election results but also for all of Iran’s domestic, foreign, nuclear, war, economic and other policies.
Iran also has a committee that reviews the applications of candidates. The committee will review the candidates until June 11 and will remove those it deems necessary. The council disqualified several reformist and moderate candidates, including former President Larijani, just before the last presidential election in 2021.
Ahmedinejad filed the application.
Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose candidacy had previously been vetoed by the Constitutional Defense Council, also formally declared his candidacy. Ahmadinejad applied to run for the Fourth Ministry of Development during the application process. Ahmadinejad, who has once again emerged as one of the key candidates in the election, said, “Thank you very much. At this stage, I have fulfilled my historic responsibility.” He said.
