The death of Iran's president will spark a high-stakes power struggle

Update (May 20th): This article was updated after Iranian state media confirmed Mr Raisi’s death.

THREE YEARS ago, when Ebrahim Raisi won the presidency in a rigged election, some Iranians thought it was a stepping stone to a bigger position. Ali Khamenei, the ageing, ailing supreme leader, did not have long to live; when he died, Mr Raisi would surely aim to replace him. But history has a sense of irony. Instead of catapulting him to the top job, winning the presidency cost Mr Raisi his life.

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