Supreme leader's succession race disrupted. Son of Khamenei in fray?

DUBAI: Iranian Prez

Ebrahim Raisi

's death in a helicopter crash upsets the plans of hardliners who wanted him to succeed

supreme leader

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and will stir rivalries in their camp over who will take over the Islamic Republic when he dies.
A protege of Khamenei who rose through the ranks of Iran's theocracy, Raisi, 63, was widely seen as a leading candidate to take over from Khamenei, 85.

Raisi had enjoyed staunch backing from Khamenei, who had himself held the position of prez before he became supreme leader in 1989 following the death of the Islamic Republic's founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. But criticism of Raisi's performance as prez had already raised questions about whether he was the best candidate to succeed Khamenei, who is in declining health.
The supreme leader holds ultimate power in Iran.
Raisi's main rival was considered to be Khamenei's second son, Mojtaba, who is widely believed to wield influence behind the scenes. Khamenei has indicated opposition to his son's candidacy because he doesn't want to see any slide back to a system of hereditary rule in a country where the US-backed monarchy was overthrown in 1979, an Iranian source close to Khamenei's office said. But Raisi's death may give Mojtaba an easier path to succeed despite monarchical succession concerns. A former Iranian official said powerful actors, including the Revolutionary Guards and influential clerics in Qom, are now expected to step up efforts to shape the process by which the next supreme leader is picked. US-based Iran expert Alex Vatanka said Raisi's death "could result in internal infighting unlike anything we've seen since the early 1980s." (Reuters & NYT)