Analysis Ebrahim Raisi, tipped as future supreme leader, wants to be Iran’s next president

Ebrahim Raisi, the leading candidate for Iran’s hardliners in next month’s presidential election, has left many wondering whether the country’s fragile opening to the West could be under threat.

The 56-year-old judge and cleric registered on Friday for the May 19 vote and his candidacy is being closely watched by foreign investors and diplomats who fear the return of a hardline administration that could threaten the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and efforts to open up trade.

So far, Raisi has given little indication of his views on foreign policy, keeping his comments vague and predictable. He filed his candidacy after Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani ended weeks of speculation by signalling his intention to seek a second term.

“Our relations will be ongoing with every country - except the occupying regime of Israel - but on condition of respect,” Raisi said.

Analysts describe Raisi as utterly loyal to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, meaning he would likely remain deeply suspicious of engagement with the West but unlikely to backtrack on the nuclear deal, which had the boss’s tacit consent.