From being prosecutor general of Tehran in 1994 to Chief Justice of the country, Ebrahim Raisi was close to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and has worn many hats before becoming the President in 2021.
Raisi was born in 1960 to a religious family in Iran's Mashhad. At age 5, he lost his father. Still, he followed in his footsteps to become a cleric.
As a young student at a religious seminary in the holy city of Qom, Raisi took part in protests in the 1979 revolution. Later, his contacts with religious leaders in Qom made him a trusted figure in the judiciary.
As a student, Raisi became closer to Ayatollah Khamenei and joined the judiciary when he was just 25 years old and soon became the deputy prosecutor of Tehran. All this while, he was trained by Ayatollah Khamenei, who took over as Iran's president in 1981.
He later went on to serve as Tehran's chief prosecutor. He was elected to the Assembly of Experts, which is charged with appointing and overseeing the Supreme Leader.
In 2017, Raisi put his hat into the ring in the presidential elections against Hassan Rouhani. However, he lost the polls, garnering just 38% of the votes.
Timeline
Raisi served in several positions in Iran's judicial system, such as Deputy Chief Justice (2004–2014), Attorney General (2014–2016), and Chief Justice (2019–2021).
He was also Prosecutor and Deputy Prosecutor of Tehran in the 1980s and 1990s.
He was Custodian and Chairman of Astan Quds Razavi, a bonyad, from 2016 until 2019.
He was a member of the Assembly of Experts from South Khorasan Province, being elected for the first time in the 2006 election.
He was the son-in-law of Mashhad Friday prayer leader and Grand Imam of Imam Reza shrine, Ahmad Alamolhoda.
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