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☆ New Iranian foreign minister a familiar face for US officials
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Katie Bo Lillis | Mj Lee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

One familiar name stood out to US officials: the new acting foreign minister, Ali Bagheri Kani. Just last week in Oman, Kani was part of a delegation of senior Iranian officials that met indirectly with US officials, current and former officials said. In the wake of the death of so many of his top officials, US officials believe that Khamenei will work to ensure that replacements adhere to his hardline worldview. “It’s difficult to see there will be any major changes in the way Iran behaves on the world stage,” a senior administration official said. In talks with Iranian officials in Oman last week, US officials once again laid out for their counterparts the consequences of Iran’s destabilizing actions, behavior and policies, according to the senior administration official and a US official.

Persons: Ali Bagheri Kani, Kani, Biden, Ebrahim Raisi, Ali Khamenei, Raisi, Jonathan Panikoff, ” Khamenei, Khamenei, ”, Panikoff, “, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Vahid, –, Matt Miller Organizations: CNN, US, Supreme, Experts, Tehran ”, State Department Locations: Iran, United States, Oman, Gaza, Washington, Tehran, Israel, Kani

☆ Iran Begins Funeral Events for President Raisi
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Cassandra Vinograd | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Funeral events for Iran’s president and foreign minister began in northwestern Iran on Tuesday as investigators looked into the helicopter crash that killed them and the country grappled with the shock of losing two of its most prominent leaders at a volatile moment. Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has announced five days of mourning for the president, Ebrahim Raisi, 63, and the foreign minister, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, 60, who died when their helicopter plunged into a mountainous area near the Iranian city of Jolfa on Sunday. The state news media said the crash had resulted from a “technical failure.” Iran’s Armed Forces said it had begun an investigation and sent a team to the site. Some people held photographs of Mr. Raisi; the semiofficial Tasnim news agency reported that the country’s interior minister and acting president had been spotted in the crowd. He had been widely viewed as a potential successor to Ayatollah Khamenei, 85.

Persons: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ebrahim Raisi, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, Raisi, Amir Abdollahian, Ayatollah Khamenei Organizations: Iran’s, Forces Locations: Iran, Iranian, Jolfa, Tabriz

☆ Iran begins days of nationwide funeral rites for President Ebrahim Raisi after helicopter crash
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

People attend funeral ceremony, held for Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his senior officials died in a helicopter crash, in Tabriz, Iran on May 21, 2024. Thousands of mourners descended on Tabriz on Tuesday for a funeral ceremony honoring Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who perished in a helicopter crash over the weekend, leaving an indelible void in the country's leadership succession plans. Some mourners are shown brandishing photographs of Raisi, while others trooped behind lines awaiting the procession. Services for Raisi will be held between Tuesday and Thursday in Tabriz, Qom, Birjand and Iranian capital Tehran. "Our honorable Raisi worked tirelessly," Khamenei said on the X social media platform on Monday.

Persons: Ebrahim Raisi, Hossein Amirabdollahian, IRNA, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Raisi, Khamenei, Butcher, Mahsa, Amirabdolahian, Bashar Assad Organizations: Iranian, Islamic Republic News Agency, CNBC, Raisi, Human Rights Watch, Palestinian, Hamas Locations: Tabriz, Iran, Qom, Birjand, Tehran, Mashhad, Azerbaijan, East, Israel

☆ Iran President Raisi: Days of funeral ceremonies begin as investigators probe helicopter crash
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Jessie Yeung | Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Funeral ceremonies are set to begin on Tuesday for the late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi following his death in a helicopter crash, as authorities probe what caused the aircraft to smash into the side of a remote mountainside during foggy weather on Sunday morning. A helicopter carrying Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi takes off on May 19, 2024, before the crash took place. There is no indication what might have caused the crash – and why so many senior Iranian government officials were traveling in a single, decades-old helicopter. A high-ranking delegation will go to the crash site in Eastern Azerbaijan, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency. Inside Iran, where many of the country’s restive youth population have grown tired of rule by conservative clerics, Raisi had a much more polarizing legacy.

Persons: Ebrahim Raisi, Ayatollah Khamenei, Mohsen Mansouri, Ali Hamed Haghdoust, Mansouri, Reza, Khamenei, “, ”, Abdulkadir Uraloglu, Uraloglu, Iran’s, ’, Ayatollah Khamenei —, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Kim Jong, Kim, Xi, Raisi’s, Azin, ” Xi, Putin, Russia, ” Raisi, Raisi Organizations: CNN, Wana News Agency, Reuters, Mehr, Iranian, Turkish Transportation, Infrastructure, TRT, Moj News Agency, AP, Kremlin, US Locations: Tabriz, Iran, Qom, Tehran, Mashhad, Turkey, Turkish, Eastern Azerbaijan, Israel, Korean, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, China, North Korea, Russia, Iranian

☆ Oil prices fall on fear of high U.S. interest rates depressing demand
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Oil storage drums stacked in the Keihin industrial area of Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, on Monday, April 15, 2024. Oil prices fell in early Asian trade on Tuesday, with investors anticipating higher-for-longer U.S. inflation and interest rates will depress consumer and industrial demand. "Fears of weaker demand led to selling as the prospect of Fed rate cut became more distant," said analyst Toshitaka Tazawa at Fujitomi Securities. Lower interest rates reduce borrowing costs, freeing up funds which could boost economic growth and demand for oil. OPEC+ could extend some voluntary output cuts if demand fails to pick up, people with knowledge of the matter previously told Reuters.

Persons: Toshitaka Tazawa, Philip Jefferson, Michael Barr, Raphael Bostic, Ebrahim Raisi, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Mohammed Bin Salman, Fujitomi's Tazawa Organizations: Brent, . West Texas, Federal, Fujitomi Securities, Atlanta Fed, Reuters, Saudi Arabia's Crown, Iranian, Investors, Organization of, Petroleum Locations: Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, Saudi, OPEC

☆ Raisi helicopter crash: Some in Iran claim US sanctions to blame but the truth may be more complicated
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Nic Robertson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Even before Iran’s army chief Mohammad Bagheri ordered an investigation into the helicopter crash that cost the Islamic Republic the lives of two of its top politicians, blame was being laid at America’s door. People mourn the death of President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in a helicopter crash the previous day, at Valiasr Square, on May 20, 2024 in Tehran, Iran. The next question might be, knowing the weather was bad and having three helicopters on the journey, why put both president and foreign minister in the same aircraft? Former Foreign Minister Zarif would want the world to believe Iran’s technological core has been hollowed out by US sanctions, but that allegation too is tainted by hubris. Iran’s presidents are not idle, they need to go places.

Persons: Mohammad Bagheri, Ebrahim Raisi, Javad Zarif acidly, Abdulkadir Uraloglu, Raisi –, Hossein Amir, Abdollahian, Malek Rahmati, Mohammed Ali Alehashem –, Ilham Aliyav, Majid Saeedi, Yemen’s Houthis, AKINCI, Ali Khamenei, –, Russia –, Zarif, Raisi Organizations: CNN, Islamic, Bell, Turkish Transport, Revolutionary Guard Corps, Former Locations: Islamic Republic, America’s, United States, Iran, Vietnam, Azerbaijan, Tabriz, Tehran, Turkish, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey

☆ After Raisi’s Death, Elections Pose Tricky Test for Iran’s Rulers
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Erika Solomon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For decades, Iran’s leaders could point to high voter turnouts in their elections as proof of the legitimacy of the Islamic Republic’s political system. He could ensure that the presidential elections, which the Constitution mandates must happen within 50 days after Mr. Raisi’s death, are open to all, from hard-liners to reformists. Or he can repeat his strategy of recent elections, and block not only reformist rivals but even moderate, loyal opposition figures. That choice might leave him facing the embarrassment of even lower voter turnout, a move that would be interpreted as a stinging rebuke of his increasingly authoritarian state. Voter turnout in Iran has been on a downward trajectory in the last several years.

Persons: Ebrahim Raisi, Ali Khamenei, Raisi’s Locations: Iran

☆ Trump Calls Cannes Biopic ‘Garbage’ and Says He Plans to Sue
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Kyle Buchanan | More About Kyle Buchanan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The day after the Cannes Film Festival premiered “The Apprentice,” a biopic of Donald J. Trump, the former president hit back at the movie, calling it “malicious defamation” and threatening legal action. “This garbage is pure fiction which sensationalizes lies that have been long debunked,” said Steven Cheung, a spokesman for the Trump campaign. Directed by Ali Abbasi and written by the author Gabriel Sherman, “The Apprentice” follows Trump (Sebastian Stan) as an ambitious young man seeking to establish himself as a real estate magnate. In its most controversial sequence, the Trump character sexually assaults his wife after she criticizes his looks. (Ivana, who died in 2022, accused Trump of rape in her divorce deposition, though she disavowed the claim later.)

Persons: ”, Donald J, Trump, Steven Cheung, Ali Abbasi, Gabriel Sherman, Sebastian Stan, Roy Cohn, Jeremy Strong, Ivana Zelnickova, Maria Bakalova, Ivana Organizations: Cannes Film, Trump

☆ ‘The Apprentice’ premieres to applause and controversy at Cannes Film Festival
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Alli Rosenbloom | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —“The Apprentice,” a new film about former President Donald Trump’s real estate dealings in New York in the ’80s, debuted to a standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival and criticism from his campaign. Starring Sebastian Stan as a young Trump, the film is an “exploration of power and ambition set in a world of corruption and deceit,” according to an official synopsis. “Succession” star Jeremy Strong co-stars as Roy Cohn, the lawyer and fixer who Trump considered a mentor early in his career. There is only the way of dealing with this wave on its own turfs at its own level,” he said. APThe film includes a depiction of Trump’s relationship with his first wife, Ivana, and their divorce, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Persons: CNN —, ”, Donald Trump’s, Sebastian Stan, Trump, Jeremy Strong, Roy Cohn, “, Gabriel Sherman, Ali Abbasi, ” Abassi, “ It’s, ” Gabriel Sherman, Maria Bakalova, Martin Donovan, Ivana, liposuction, ” Steven Cheung, doesn’t, ” Maria Bakalova, Ivana Trump, Catherine McNally, Charlie Carrick Organizations: CNN, Cannes Film, Republican, Iranian, Hollywood, Trump Locations: New York, Danish

☆ Live updates: Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, Benny Gantz ultimatum, Netanyahu government in turmoil
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Rescue teams' vehicles are seen near the site of the incident of the helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Varzaghan in northwestern Iran, on May 19. It has also brought a decades-long shadow war between Iran and Israel out into the open. But the proxy war continues with Iran-backed militias such as Hamas and Hezbollah continuing to fight Israel’s forces. The powers of Iran's president are ultimately dwarfed by those of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is the final arbiter of domestic and foreign affairs in the Islamic Republic. That means Iran's clerical establishment, headed by Khamenei, must now find a new leader they can throw their support behind against a backdrop of intense regional insecurity and domestic discontent.

Persons: Ebrahim Raisi, Azin, Israel —, Israel, Mahsa, Raisi, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, —, Mohammad Mokhbar —, Khamenei Organizations: Moj News Agency, Hamas, Revolutionary Guards, United Locations: Varzaghan, Iran, Gaza, Israel, Damascus, Iranian, Isfahan, United Nations, Islamic Republic

☆ Island time: Why some resorts in the Maldives move their clocks ahead an hour
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Maggie Hiufu Wong | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Many resorts move their clocks at least one hour ahead of the country’s official time zone – which is five hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT+5). The JW Marriott is one of four Maldives properties under the Marriott Group umbrella, alongside St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort, the Westin Maldives Miriandhoo Resort and the Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands. Video Ad Feedback Inside one of the Maldives' most luxurious resorts 02:30 - Source: CNNSoneva, another luxury resort group with multiple properties around the Maldives, also sets the clocks at its resorts an hour ahead of Male Time. Not every island resort follows island timeVideo Ad Feedback Flying with the barefoot pilots of the Maldives 02:31 - Source: CNNNot every resort in the Maldives follows island time. “Here at Kurumba Maldives we don’t use island time and never have, simply because as the first resort in the Maldives the concept of island time didn’t exist,” says Ali Farooq, resort manager at Kurumba, which opened in 1972.

Persons: Mohit Dembla, Matteo Colombo, ”, Zhilah Vego, CNN Soneva, Soneva Jani, Jani Time, Charles Morris, “, –, Regis, Ali Farooq, Marriott’s Organizations: CNN, JW, Spa, CNN Travel, Marriott, Marriott Group, St, Regis, Westin, Ritz, Carlton Maldives, GM, ” Staff, Maldives ’, butlers, Kurumba, Velana International Locations: Maldives, Greenwich, Regis Maldives, Westin Maldives, Fari Islands, Beach, Maldivian, St, Kurumba Maldives, Kurumba, Malé

☆ Iran's President Raisi and Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian killed in helicopter crash, state media says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | In Ying-Shan-Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi speaks during a meeting with the cabinet in Tehran, Iran, October 8, 2023. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian died in a helicopter crash, state media reported Monday. Iranian state television reported there was "no sign of life" at the crash site of the helicopter that carried Raisi, Amirabdollahian, and others. "All the passengers of the helicopter carrying the Iranian president and foreign minister were martyred," semi-official news agency Mehr News reported. "The overall outline of Iranian foreign policy is not likely to change significantly."

Persons: Ebrahim Raisi, Hossein Amirabdollahian, Ali Ahmadi, CNBC's, Raisi, Malik Rahmati, Affairs Mohsen Mansouri, Pirhossein Koulivand, Ayatollah Khamenei Organizations: Mehr News, FARS News Agency, Geneva Center for Security, Communication, Affairs, Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps Locations: Tehran, Iran, FARS, Azerbaijan Republic, Iran's, East Azerbaijan's, Tabriz, Turkey, Russia

☆ Ebrahim Raisi, Iran’s President, Dies in Helicopter Crash at 63
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Erika Solomon | Farnaz Fassihi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Ebrahim Raisi, Iran’s president and a top contender to succeed the nation’s supreme leader, was killed on Sunday in a helicopter crash. A conservative Shiite Muslim cleric who had a hand in some of the most brutal crackdowns on opponents of the Islamic Republic, Mr. Raisi was a protégé of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and a devoted upholder of religious rule in the country. Mr. Raisi’s presidency was shaped by two major events: the 2022 nationwide uprising, led by women and girls, demanding the end to the Islamic Republic’s rule and the government’s brutal crushing of that movement; and the current Middle East war with Israel, with which it had a long history of clandestine attacks. As the president under Iran’s political system, Mr. Raisi did not set the country’s nuclear or regional policy. But he inherited a government that was steadily expanding its regional influence through a network of proxy militia groups and a nuclear program that was rapidly advancing to weapons-grade uranium enrichment levels following the United States’ exit from a nuclear deal.

Persons: Ebrahim Raisi, Raisi, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Raisi’s Locations: Islamic Republic, Israel, States

☆ Red Lobster, an American Seafood Institution, Files for Bankruptcy
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Ali Watkins | More About Ali Watkins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Versatile and resilient, the lobster survives by molting, shedding its skin and growing into a new, bigger shell. Red Lobster said it planned to reduce its locations as it prepared to to sell most of its assets. In the meantime, surviving Red Lobster restaurants will remain open. It has been a painful, slow end for Red Lobster, whose death throes were telegraphed earlier this year when the company reportedly sought to restructure its debt. After decades as a General Mills subsidiary, Red Lobster was purchased by a private equity firm in 2014, and bolstered by a 2020 investment from a Thai seafood conglomerate.

Persons: molting Organizations: General Mills

☆ Instagram Is Giving People Meaningless Little Badges for Posting
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Emily Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

But an Instagram posting streak is different from, say, exercising every week for a year or doing a language lesson daily, both of which have intrinsic value. You feel good about trying to get in shape or practicing Spanish no matter who sees; that's not the case for Instagram posting. "But to post on Instagram, I'm not like, 'Wow, I'm a great poster.'" Ultimately, the Instagram badges aren't the end of the world. AdvertisementThe Instagram badges aren't widely available for all users yet, and a spokesperson for Meta said they had nothing to share on whether they eventually would be.

Persons: I've, Instagram, Wordle, Meta, Instagram's, Scott Kessler, it's, Ali Grant, Grant, that's, Barasch, I'm, they'd, she'd, —, Emily Stewart Organizations: YouTube, Third, Meta, Facebook, Digital, University of Colorado Boulder's Leeds School of Business, Business

☆ Raisi’s Death Threatens New Instability for Iran
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Steven Erlanger | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The sudden death of Iran’s president, Ebrahim Raisi, opens a new chapter of instability just as the increasingly unpopular Islamic Republic is engaged in selecting its next supreme leader. Mr. Raisi, 63, had been considered a prime candidate, especially favored by the powerful Revolutionary Guards. But given fears of instability at a time when the Islamic Republic is facing internal protests, a weak economy, endemic corruption and tensions with Israel, analysts expect little change in Iran’s foreign or domestic policies. Mr. Khamenei has set the direction for the country, and any new president will not alter it much. The system is “already on a trajectory to make sure that the successor of the supreme leader is completely in line with his vision for the future of the system,” said Ali Vaez, the Iran director at the International Crisis Group.

Persons: Ebrahim Raisi, Mr, Raisi, Ali Khamenei, Khamenei, ”, Ali Vaez Organizations: Revolutionary Guards, Crisis Locations: Republic, Islamic Republic, Israel, Iran

☆ Opinion: Iran’s president is dead. The cruel show goes on
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Opinion Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

She is a weekly opinion contributor to CNN, a contributing columnist to The Washington Post and senior columnist for World Politics Review. Expect clerics and security forces – the military and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) – to compete to see who can gain the upper hand, with hardliners in both groups seeking to position themselves for dominance. The chance of a kinder, gentler Iran emerging after new presidential elections are held in 50 days are essentially nil. He won, but most voters spoiled their ballots or stayed home, with the lowest turnout in the Islamic Republic’s history. Now Raisi is dead and the odds are that he will be replaced by another hardliner.

Persons: Frida Ghitis, Ebrahim Raisi, Raisi, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, –, Ali Khamenei, Khamenei acolyte, ”, Mahsa Amini, ” Raisi Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Politics, Islamic, Ukraine, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Army, Amnesty International, Green Movement, US Locations: Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic, Iran, Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen, Damascus, Russia, China, North Korea, Tehran, Saudi Arabia

☆ After Raisi’s Death, Speculation Over Succession Turns to Ayatollah’s Son
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Erika Solomon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Yet Mojtaba Khamenei has a powerful influence over a country that rarely sees or hears him. For years, the son of Iran’s supreme leader has been speculated to be a potential candidate to succeed his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. That speculation has grown with the death of Iran’s president, Ebrahim Raisi, who many analysts said was being groomed to replace the supreme leader, who is 85. Mr. Raisi’s death in a helicopter crash on Sunday will not only trigger new presidential elections. Mr. Khamenei, 55, is the second son of the ayatollah’s six children.

Persons: Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ebrahim Raisi, Raisi’s, Khamenei’s, ”, Arash Azizi, he’s, Azizi, Mr, Khamenei Organizations: Clemson University, Revolutionary Guards Locations: Iran, Islamic Republic

☆ Iran’s President Died, Opening a New Chapter of Instability
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Matthew Cullen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Ebrahim Raisi, Iran’s president, was killed yesterday in a helicopter crash along with the country’s foreign minister. A conservative Shiite Muslim cleric, Raisi had a hand in brutal crackdowns on opponents of the Islamic Republic, and he was widely viewed as a possible successor to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. “Now there’s also anxiety about what’s going to happen in the future.”Politically, little is likely to change in the short term. Khamenei sets the tone, and the next president will all but certainly follow his lead. Raisi’s death added to the speculation that Khamenei’s son, an invisible but powerful figure, could become the next supreme leader.

Persons: Ebrahim Raisi, Raisi, Iran’s, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, ”, Khamenei, it’s, Farnaz Fassihi, there’s Organizations: State Locations: Islamic Republic, Iran, Israel

☆ Iran president & foreign minister death will not change foreign policy
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailDeath of Iran president & foreign minister unlikely to change country's foreign policy significantlyAli Ahmadi from the Geneva Center for Security Policy expects fallout from the death of Iran President Ebrahim Raisi to be "rather contained".

Persons: Ali Ahmadi, Ebrahim Raisi Organizations: Geneva Center for Security Locations: Iran

Iran sought to project a sense of order and control on Monday by quickly naming an acting president and foreign minister a day after a helicopter crash killed both leaders. The change in leadership came at a time of heightened tensions in the Middle East and domestic discontent in Iran, where many residents have called for an end to decades of repressive clerical rule. Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, announced five days of mourning for the president, Ebrahim Raisi, 63, and the foreign minister, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, 60, who died when their helicopter plunged into a mountainous area near the Iranian city of Jolfa. The men had been returning from Iran’s border with Azerbaijan after inaugurating a joint dam project. He had been widely viewed as a possible successor to Ayatollah Khamenei, 85.

Persons: Iran’s, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ebrahim Raisi, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, Mr, Raisi, Ayatollah Khamenei Organizations: Iran’s Armed Forces Locations: Iran, Iranian, Jolfa, Iran’s, Azerbaijan

☆ After Raisi’s Death, Hard-Liners Are Expected to Keep Grip on Power
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Steven Erlanger | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The sudden death of Iran’s president, Ebrahim Raisi, opens a new chapter of instability just as the increasingly unpopular Islamic Republic is engaged in selecting its next supreme leader. Mr. Raisi, 63, had been considered a prime candidate, especially favored by the powerful Revolutionary Guards. Even before the helicopter crash that killed Mr. Raisi, the regime had been consumed with internal political struggles as the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 85, the longest-serving head of state in the Middle East, is in declining health. But given the Islamic Republic is facing internal protests, a weak economy, endemic corruption and tensions with Israel, analysts expect little change in Iran’s foreign or domestic policies. Ayatollah Khamenei has set the direction for the country, and any new president will not alter it much.

Persons: Ebrahim Raisi, Mr, Raisi, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Khamenei, ”, Ali Vaez Organizations: Revolutionary Guards, Crisis Locations: Republic, Islamic Republic, Israel, Iran

☆ Billionaire Dan Snyder funded a movie about Trump. Now he's reportedly furious it's not flattering.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Billionaire Dan Snyder funded a biopic about Donald Trump, Variety reports. "The Apprentice," a movie about Trump's early business years, premieres at Cannes on Monday. Now Snyder is getting lawyers involved because the movie isn't positive about Trump, Variety reports. AdvertisementBillionaire and Donald Trump supporter Dan Snyder helped pay for a Donald Trump movie but is now furious after realizing the film isn't actually flattering to Trump, according to a new report from Variety. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.

Persons: Dan Snyder, Donald Trump, Snyder, —, Ali Abbasi, Sebastian Stan, Trump, Jeremy Strong, Roy Cohn Organizations: Variety, Cannes, Trump, Service, Business

☆ What to Know About Mohammad Mokhber, Iran’s Acting President
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Alissa J. Rubin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

With the death of President Ebrahim Raisi, Iran’s first vice president, Mohammad Mokhber, becomes acting president. Mr. Mokhber is a conservative political operative with a long history of involvement in large business conglomerates closely tied to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In a statement on Monday, Mr. Khamenei said that Mr. Mokhber must work with the heads of the legislature and judiciary to hold elections for a new president within 50 days. Vice presidents in Iran are typically low profile, operating more as players within the government than as public figures. “Iran’s vice presidents have traditionally not been contenders to succeed their bosses,” said Robin Wright, a joint fellow at the U.S. Institute of Peace and the Wilson Center in Washington.

Persons: Ebrahim Raisi, Iran’s, Mohammad Mokhber, Mokhber, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Khamenei, “, ”, Robin Wright Organizations: U.S . Institute of Peace, Wilson Center Locations: Iran, Washington

☆ Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi dies in helicopter crash
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewIranian President Ebrahim Raisi has died after a helicopter crash in northwestern Iran, multiple news agencies reported, citing Iranian state media. Interior Minister Ahmed Vahidi told IRNA, Iran's state-run news agency, that a helicopter carrying Raisi and other senior Iranian officials was forced to make a "hard landing" on Sunday, without providing further details. Related storiesIran's foreign minister, the governor of Iran's East Azerbaijan province, and other officials were also on board the helicopter. Raisi is considered a "hard-liner" and a "protégé" of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Raisi has led Iran through heightened tensions in the region, including the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

Persons: —, Ebrahim Raisi, Ahmed Vahidi, IRNA, Mohammad Mokhber, Al, Mokhber, Raisi, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Organizations: Service, Business, Raisi, Associated Press, Iranian, United, United States Institute of Peace Locations: Iran, Iran's, Iran's East Azerbaijan province, Azerbaijan's, Al Jazeera, Israel, Gaza, Iranian, Damascus, United States, Russia, Ukraine

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