Ebrahim Raisi, who died on Sunday in a helicopter crash, worked in Iran's judiciary for over three decades before becoming president in August 2021.
The 63-year-old wielded considerable influence within the Islamic Republic's establishment and, analysts say, had a close relationship with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the most powerful man in the country.
Born in 1960 in Mashhad, in north-east Iran, Raisi won the presidential election in June 2021 with just under 62% of the vote as the leading candidate of the political hardliners and the preferred candidate and protégé of Khamenei.
The election was marred by low voter turnout of only about 48.9% in the country of 83 million people, a record low in the then-42-year history of the Islamic Republic.
Raisi succeeded the more moderate Hassan Rouhani, who was barred from running again due to term limits after two stints in office.
During his three decades working in Iran's judiciary, Raisi served first as a prosecutor, later as a judge and, since 2019, as head of the judiciary.
Raisi is said to have been responsible for the imprisonment, and even execution, of several Iranian dissidents when he was prosecutor general. Raisi denied these accusations several times during the presidential campaign.
According to Iran's constitution, despite the title of president Raisi was only number two in the country's power structure as Khamenei functions as the head of state and has the final say in all strategic matters. He is also commander-in-chief of Iran's armed forces.
In autumn 2022, the death of Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini sparked massive protests in Iran. The young woman died in police custody after being arrested by the morality police for violating Islamic dress codes.
Tens of thousands demonstrated across the country against the government's repressive policies and the Islamic system of rule.
Security and law enforcement under Raisi responded with violence and harsh prosecutions. Tens of thousands of demonstrators were arrested, many were killed during the protests and several were executed. The protests plunged the political leadership into its worst crisis in decades.
The United States and European Union have repeatedly imposed sanctions against Iran - for human rights violations, but also because of Iran's support for the Russian war against Ukraine.
At the same time, there is renewed concern about Iran's nuclear ambitions. International nuclear negotiations with Tehran have stalled and under Raisi's government relations with the West deteriorated.
Iran is also deeply hostile to Israel. In April, Tehran attacked Israel for the first time not through regional proxies such as the Houthi rebels in Yemen or the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon, but directly - in response to the bombing of the Iranian embassy compound in Syria's capital Damascus.
