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How was Ebrahim Raisi connected to the shrine complex in Mashhad?
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Mashhad
Shrine of the imam ʿAlī al-Riḍā, Mashhad, Iran.
In 2016, Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, appointed Ebrahim Raisi as the custodian of the shrine of ‘Alī al-Riḍā in Mashhad.1
This role placed Raisi in charge of Iran’s largest bonyad (charitable trust), granting him control over billions of dollars in assets and a significant portion of the country’s gross domestic product without formal oversight. He held this position until 2019. Many observers viewed this appointment as a strategic move to increase Raisi’s influence among the country’s business and clerical elite, and the wealth associated with the shrine complex is widely considered to have boosted his profile prior to his presidency.12