Ebrahim Raisi to take oath as Iran’s new hardline president

Iran’s new hardline president Ebrahim Raisi is about to be sworn into office. He earned the victory in June.

Mr. Raisis is a hardline celric. He is succeeding Hassan Rouhani, who was seen in the Wes as a relative moderate. It is coming at a time of growing challenges for Iran. Its economy is crippling with the US-led sanctions.

There are also tensions with the foreign powers. They are blaming Iran for the deadly drone attack near Oman. However, Iran has denied it. This drone attack has killed two people – a British and a Romanian security guard. It has struck MV Mercer Street, which is operated by a company of Israel. Britain and the US are accusing Israel of carrying out this attack.

The tensions with the US have been taking place since 2018 when Donald Trump pulled off a multilateral deal over the nuclear program of Iran. Also, he restored the sanctions. On Tuesday, hardline president Mr.Raisi promised that his government would try to lift the sanctions. At the same time, it will not tie the standard of living in this nation as per the will of the foreigners.

The thorny negotiations took place in Vienna between Iran and other nations. They are still part of the agreement that tries to receive the frayed deal and to lift the sanctions. However, the talks are on hold.

The battered economy is leading to the growth of discontent among the Iranians, who are seeing a sharp rise in the cost of living. Iran is also blaming US sanctions for the shortage in medicine.

Alongside the crisis, Iran is also battling with the pandemic. The highest number of cases took place in the past three days. Iran is also facing a severe shortage of water. Mr. Raisi’s election came during the record low turnout. Many Iranians either boycotted or refused to vote.

Mr. Raisi is facing criticism over his records of human rights. The campaign groups accuse him of his involvement in the execution of the thousands of political prisoners in 1988.

Mr. Raisi, one of the four judges, sat on the secret tribunals, known as the “Death Committee”. It condemned the prisoners to death. The US also imposed sanctions on him in 2019 over human rights abuses.

Credits: BBC