Iran’s new president is an out-and-out monster — and enemy of minorities

The Islamic Republic of Iran is a monstrous tyranny that likes to pretend it’s a democracy. And so in a vote with historically low turnout — and all candidates pre-vetted by the unelected Guardian Council, of course — Ebrahim Raisi was “elected” president. He will be inaugurated in August.

His rise is bad news for all Iranians, especially members of religious minorities. Raisi is the hard-line prodigy of the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and is tipped as a potential successor to the role of Top Tyrant. Raisi, who leaves the position of chief of the judiciary to take up the presidency, was one of four judges in the late 1980s to sit on the “Death Panel.” It was as horrific as it sounds, ordering the execution of thousands of regime opponents (and suspected opponents).