Iran Update, May 20, 2024
May 20, 2024 - ISW Press![](https://understandingwar.org/sites/default/files/styles/square_thumbnail/public/Israel-Hamas%20War%20Graphic_485.jpg?itok=HfU9Iv_e)
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash in northwestern Iran on May 19. His death upends Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s multi-year project of grooming Raisi to become the next supreme leader. Khamenei has invested tremendous energy and time in preparing Raisi in recent years, appointing him to key positions and engineering the presidential election in 2021 to ensure that he won. Raisi’s death is a shock to both the day-to-day management of the Iranian government as well as to Khamenei’s long-term vision for the regime.