In Pictures - Who is Ebrahim Raisi?

At a time when Iranians were broadly dissatisfied with the regime of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, many of the seminarians at Qom were engaged with the revolutionary ideals of Ruhollah Khomeini, whose interpretation of velāyat-e faqīh (guardianship of the jurist) sought to ensure clerical oversight of the government’s policy and administration. Raisi was purportedly an active participant in the events of 1978–79 that drove the shah into exile and established a system of government based on Khomeini’s vision.