It’s a very good thing that Iran’s president, Ebrahim Raisi, is dead.
Raisi was a blood-splattered Khomeinist, known as the Butcher of Tehran for his role as chief executioner during a massive 1988 purge; a key protégé of current capo supremo Ali Khamenei and his most likely successor.
He was committed both to the evil ideology he espoused and to the violent repression so necessary to maintaining its grip on Iran — as witness the 2022 nationwide crackdown against Iranians protesting the religious-police murder of Mahsa Amini for daring to remove her hijab.
He was also a committed America- and Israel-hater, key qualifications for any man (and in the Islamic Republic, it can only ever be a man) aspiring to ultimate power in Tehran.
His death may destabilize what is widely seen as the line of succession for Khamenei, now 85.
But in the medium term, it (sadly) seems unlikely to change anything significantly.
Iran is still committed to its project of regional hegemony, a project far bigger than Raisi.Â
The Islamic Republic has scored a number of big wins on that front through proxies in recent months: the Houthi offensive against Red Sea shipping; Hamas’ Oct. 7 atrocities; the gathering storm of an Israel-Hezbollah war.
These have come thanks not only to Iran’s aggression but also to first Biden administration haplessness and then to the White House’s recent hard anti-Israel tilt.
Plus, Biden has proven himself committed to Iran’s hegemonic project at least as firmly as Raisi was, which also seems unlikely to change.
Defeating Iran requires bold, strong action. Waiting and hoping for its leadership to die out is guaranteed to be a losing strategy.