U.S.-sanctioned former Revolutionary Guards commander Vahid Haghanian is among the candidates who registered Saturday to become Iran's next president following the death in a helicopter crash of Ebrahim Raisi, state media reported. Haghanian, a close aide to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, told reporters after registering that his qualifications were based on "experience from serving 45 years in the presidency and the leader's office." The U.S. Treasury designated Haghanian in 2019 among nine individuals in Khamenei's "inner circle responsible for advancing ... domestic and foreign oppression."
