The many challenges facing Iran’s new President Ebrahim Raisi

From managing an ailing economy to balancing ties with the West, Iran’s eighth president will not have an easy job.

Tehran, Iran – Ebrahim Raisi, who will be inaugurated as Iran’s eighth president on Thursday, faces a complicated set of political, economic and societal challenges upon assuming office. The 60-year-old hardline Raisi replaces moderate Hassan Rouhani, who championed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers that took a big hit after the United States unilaterally abandoned it in 2018 and went on to impose harsh sanctions. Rouhani repeatedly claimed that his hardline rivals in Tehran did not allow six rounds of talks in Vienna aimed at restoring the accord to lead to an agreement before the end of his second and final tenure.