Iran’s New Presidential Race Post-Raisi

Iran's Guardian Council has approved the hard-line parliament speaker and five others to run in the country's June 28 presidential election after a helicopter crash killed President Ebrahim Raisi. The council barred former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, setting the stage for a brief two-week campaign to replace Raisi.

In the wake of a tragic helicopter crash that claimed the life of President Ebrahim Raisi and seven others, Iran's Guardian Council has moved swiftly to approve the hard-line speaker of parliament and five other candidates to run in the upcoming June 28 presidential election.

Notably, the council once again barred former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from contesting. Ahmadinejad, known for his hardline stance following his disputed 2009 re-election, was deemed ineligible to participate.

The council's decision marks the official start of a condensed, two-week campaign period aimed at choosing a successor to Raisi, himself once considered a potential future leader under Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.