challenger, the hard-line cleric Ebrahim Raisi, who criticized the nuclear deal with the United States and other Western powers, had lost. "Bye-bye, Raisi," the crowds chanted during the street gatherings. "He faces a difficult task," Fazel Meybodi, a Shiite Muslim cleric from the city of Qum, said of M

challenger, the hard-line cleric Ebrahim Raisi, who criticized the nuclear deal with the United States and other Western powers, had lost. "Bye-bye, Raisi," the crowds chanted during the street gatherings. "He faces a difficult task," Fazel Meybodi, a Shiite Muslim cleric from the city of Qum, said of M

ewed as the front-runner and the consensus choice of Iran's hard-line factions." Similarly, the AP (5/25, Gambrell) says that the announcement puts Raisi, "who is linked to mass executions in 1988, in the dominant position for the upcoming vote." US Envoy For Yemen In Saudi Arabia For Talks. Reuters

on groups were executed on the orders of supreme leader Ruhollah Khomeini." Politico adds that "the case is particularly sensitive" for Iran because Raisi "has long stood accused of being a central figure in the massacre." Three Lebanese Men Killed In Disputes Amid Fuel Shortage, Source Says. Reuters

iewed as the front-runner and the consensus choice of Iran's hard-line factions." Similarly, the AE (5/25, Gambrell) says that the announcement puts Raisi, "who is linked to mass executions in 1988, in the dominant position for the upcoming vote." US Envoy For Yemen In Saudi Arabia For Talks. Reuters