Ebrahim Raisi, the frontrunner, is particularly controversial. Head of the country‘s powerful judiciary, he led the crackdown on anti-government protesters in 2019, and he tolerates zero dissent. If elected, he would become the first Iranian president to take office with U.S.-imposed sanctions already listing him personally: He was sanctioned by the U.S. government over his involvement in a mass-execution of political prisoners almost three decades ago.