On May 26, 2024, the Afghan Institute for Strategic Studies hosted an Xspace with prominent experts from Iran and Afghanistan. In this virtual roundtable - titled "Raisi's death and the competition for Iran's future leadership." - Ms. Mahdieh Golroo, a political analyst and feminist, Dr. Sardar Mohammad Rahimi, a geopolitics researcher at the University of Paris, Dr. Shahram Kholdi, a professor of history and international relations, and Mehrdad Farahmand, an expert on Middle Eastern issues, discussed the dimensions of the helicopter crash that killed the former Iranian president and the internal competition for the future leadership of this country.

On May 19, Ebrahim Raisi, the Iranian president, along with seven of his companions, including the foreign minister of the Islamic Republic, died in a helicopter crash. This accident sent shockwaves through the region and the world and fueled speculation. Some believe the incident was the result of internal conspiracies and power struggles within the Islamic Republic system, while others believe it was due to technical errors or climatic conditions.

In this Twitter/Xspace;
Dr. Shahram Kholdi, referring to the state of Iran's air system, said: "Iran's air system was not very advanced even during the Shah's time. Although Iranian aviation officials believe that the country's air system has always been able to fulfill its duties, this does not mean that there is no conspiracy. The groundwork had been laid to make the president a leader, and perhaps this issue put him in the crosshairs of a conspiracy."

Ms. Mahdieh Golroo added: "The way the Raisi family and the Alamolhoda family were treated indicates that there are too many ambiguities within the system. The system tries to answer every ambiguity, but this issue exposes the internal crisis. The security atmosphere at Raisi's funeral was also extraordinary and controversial. It is possible that Zarif could come to the fore as a polarizing figure or that Jalili or Mokhbar could be discussed. Another scenario is that Khamenei will completely bring a new face to the field."

Dr. Sardar Mohammad Rahimi also said, "The person who is at the core of power in Iran determines all the policies of the Islamic Republic. But we should not look at the issue of the presidents' passiveness with certainty. The symbol of power in Iran is the leader, but it is unclear whether the leader also leads the hard core of power."

Mehrdad Farahmand said in this regard: "The presidency has not played a significant role in Iran's foreign policy towards the region and the world, especially the issue of Palestine and the Arab world. Raisi and his team were more executors of the leader's orders and were not influential figures like Soleimani and Rafsanjani."

Ms. Golroo addressed the issue of corruption among government officials and said, "Corruption cases among high-ranking government officials are not discussed; what is important is whether this corruption has reached the ears and eyes of the organizations that engineer the elections."

Dr. Kholdi added, "A corrupt and pyramidal system runs the country."

In conclusion, Dr. Rahimi referred to the expectations of friction and failures between the Taliban and the Islamic Republic concerning some issues.

Mehrdad Farahmand also said, "The Islamic Republic system is pragmatic and, contrary to popular belief, is not very ideological."