Shaherzad Ahmadi, associate professor of history at the University of St. Thomas College of Arts and Sciences, recently published an op-ed in The Hill about the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, and the fragility of the upcoming election of a new leader.
From the article:
The death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi last month has further opened the door to the possibility of a military coup in the country. An effort to replace Raisi has commenced, with elections scheduled for late June, but stability for the Islamic Republic is certainly in question.
Despite the veneer of control, there has been an unexpected shuffle in the Islamic Republic as pro-establishment figures now compete for the role of president. Between the losses of Major General Qassem Soleymani, General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, his deputy general, Mohammad Hadi Haji-Rahimi and now Raisi, there is one remaining key figure who may be holding it all together for the time being: 85-year-old Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran.
