Ebrahim Raisi

He holds a master's degree in the field of "International Private Law"[3] from an undisclosed institution and was also graduated with a Ph.D. in "jurisprudence and fundamentals of Islamic law" from Shahid Motahari University.[3][15][16]

He began to study in Qom Seminary at the age of 15.[3] Then he decided to educate in Navvab school for a short time. After that, he went to Ayatollah Sayyed Muhammad Mousavi Nezhad school and his studying was coincided with teaching to other students. In 1976, he went to Qom to continue his studying in Ayatollah Borujerdi school. He was the student of Seyyed Hossein Borujerdi, Morteza Motahhari, Abolghasem Khazali, Hossein Noori Hamedani, Ali Meshkini and Morteza Pasandideh.[15][16] According to Alex Vatanka of the Middle East Institute, Raisi's "exact religious qualification" is a "sore point". "For a while" prior to investigation by the Iranian media, he "referred to himself" as "Ayatollah" on his personal website. However, according to Vatanka, the media "publicized his lack of formal religious education" and credentials, after which Raisi ceased claiming to hold the aforementioned rank. He now "refers to himself as hojat-ol-eslam", a clerical position lower in status and privilege.[17]

In 1981, he was appointed the prosecutor of Karaj. Later on, he was also appointed as Prosecutor of Hamadan and served both position together. He was simultaneously active in two cities more than 300 km away from each other.[18] After four months, he was appointed as Prosecutor of Hamadan Province.[3]

He was appointed as Deputy prosecutor of Tehran in 1985 and moved to the capital.[19] After three years and in early 1988, he was placed in the attention of Ruhollah Khomeini and received special provisions (independent from judiciary) from him to address legal issues in some provinces like Lorestan, Semnan and Kermanshah.

Hussein-Ali Montazeri named Raisi as one of the four persons involved in the 1988 executions of Iranian political prisoners.[20] Other persons were Morteza Eshraghi (Prosecutor of Tehran), Hossein-Ali Nayeri (Judge) and Mostafa Pourmohammadi (MOI representative in Evin). Names of first two persons are mentioned in Khomeini's order. Pourmohammadi has denied his role but Raisi has not commented publicly on the matter yet.[21][22]

After Khomeini's death and election of Ali Khamenei as the new Supreme Leader, Raisi was appointed as Tehran prosecutor by newly appointed Chief-Justice Mohammad Yazdi. He held the office for five years from 1989 to 1994. In 1994, he was appointed as head of General Inspection Office.

From 2004 until 2014, Raisi served as First Deputy Chief Justice of Iran, being appointed by Chief Justice Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi. He kept his position in Sadeq Larijani's first term as Chief Justice. He was later appointed as Attorney-General of Iran in 2014, a position that he held until 2016, when he resigned to become Chairman of Astan Quds Razavi.[23] He has also served as Special Clerical Court prosecutor.

Raisi has said “I see the activation of a resistance economy as the only way to end poverty and deprivation in the country.”[45] He supports development of the agricultural sector over commercial retail, which “will eventually benefit foreign brands.”[46]

He has promised to triple the monthly state benefits, currently 450,000 rials per citizen, in order to tackle corruption and create six million jobs.[47]

Answering reporters about his foreign policy, he said it “would be to establish ties with every country except Israel.”[48]