Analysts highlight that it is difficult to determine the exact intentions of Iran’s leadership, but Ebrahim Raisi’s long-standing role within the Islamic Republic positioned him as a likely candidate to become the third supreme leader, following Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The supreme leader, appointed for life by the Assembly of Experts, holds ultimate authority over all major issues, including foreign policy. Khamenei, who has been in the role since Khomeini’s death in 1989, is now 85 years old.