Ebrahim Raisi, who has been inaugurated as Iran’s eighth president on Thursday, faces a complicated set of political, economic and societal challenges upon assuming office.
The 60-year-old hardline Raisi replaces moderate Hassan Rouhani, who championed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers that took a big hit after the United States unilaterally abandoned it in 2018 and went on to impose harsh sanctions.
He sought to position himself as a revolutionary president and emphasised Iran's peaceful stance in the world in his address before parliament.