Iran Has Its Own Hard-Line Populist, and He’s on the Rise<br />In a campaign video Mr. Raisi elaborated on the controversy, saying, "I remember when there was such a hype over the concerts, I told my friends, the government should think up a solution for the concerts of poor people, the concerts of slum-dwellers,<br />and the concerts of salaries below 1 million toman," about $250.<br />"What foreign company will invest in Iran if he becomes president?" Mr. Raisi enjoys the support of many in Iran’s<br />security forces, including the powerful Revolutionary Guard Corps and the members of the paramilitary basij forces.<br />Sensing Mr. Rouhani’s vulnerability, Mr. Raisi as nationalist has criticized the pact, saying on Wednesday, "Where in the world does a government weaken its defensive potentials, missiles for preventing wars?" He says the solutions for Iran’s problems must be found "inside the country" and asserts<br />that one of the main reasons Iran is stable and secure is its military support for Shiite fighters in Iraq and Syria.<br />Raisi misuses religion and makes empty promises," said Hossein Ghayyoumi, a reformist cleric who supports Mr. Rouhani.<br />Saeed Laylaz said that His economic and social policies are like those from former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: disastrous,<br />He also appears to have the support of Ayatollah Khamenei, who like Mr. Raisi is a staunch guardian of the country’s anti-Western ideology.
