‘Presidential curse’: The unsettled legacy of Iran’s leaders

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash while returning from a joint opening ceremony with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on the Aras River, will be buried in Mashhad on May 23, Thursday.

The world is abuzz with discussions about who will become the new President of Iran as the country prepares for elections in 50 days. However, there is talk within Iran that the presidency is “cursed.”

This sentiment arises from the observation that, except for Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, no president has managed to complete his term and enjoy a normal retirement.

Here are the Presidents of Iran and their fates:

Abu al Hasan Beni Sadr

Abu al Hasan Beni Sadr was the first President of Iran. On January 25, 1980, he was elected President of Iran, but in 1981 his palace was raided by the Revolutionary Guards because of his differences with the then Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini. Forced to flee to France, Beni Sadr lived in exile until his death on October 9, 2021.

Mohammad Ali Rajai

He was elected as Iranian President on August 2, 1981, following the removal of Beni Sadr by parliament on June 22, 1981. Only 28 days later, he was killed in a bomb attack by opposition groups on August 30.

Ali Khamenei

Ali Khamenei is the only leader among the Presidents of Iran who didn’t get into trouble. Serving as President from October 13, 1981, to August 3, 1989, Khamenei was elected as the Supreme Leader after the death of the then Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989.

Hashemi Rafsanjani

Hashemi Rafsanjani served as President from 1989 to 2005. He lost the presidential elections in 2005 to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Although he remained within the system, serving as the Chairman of the Expediency Discernment Council, he passed away in 2017 due to a suspected heart attack.

What made Rafsanjani’s death suspicious was the arrest of his son Mehdi Hashemi in 2015 on charges of bribery and corruption. His daughter Faezeh Hashemi Rafsanjani was also arrested in September 2022 and sentenced to five years of house arrest for participating in anti-government protests.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

With the support of Supreme Leader Khamenei and the Revolutionary Guard Corps against a reformist leader like Rafsanjani, he won the 2005 elections and became President. However, he had serious disagreements with Khamenei during his tenure. From 2011 onward, his close colleagues and relatives were arrested on corruption allegations.

In February 2024, he was prevented from traveling abroad on security grounds. In the 2021 elections, he wanted to run for President again, but his candidacy was vetoed by the Council for the Protection of the Constitution. It is claimed that he may be placed under house arrest.

Hasan Rouhani

Hasan Rouhani, who was elected President after Ahmadinejad in 2013, encountered the true face of the regime when his brother, Hossein Fereydoun, was arrested on financial charges in 2015. After the end of his term, he became a politically ineffective figure.

Ebrahim Raisi

After Khamenei, Raisi, who was expected to be elected as the Supreme Leader, lost his life in a suspicious helicopter crash on May 19.