Iranian hardliner Raisi, tied to mass executions, sworn in as regime president

Iran’s new hardline president Ebrahim Raisi, who has been tied to mass executions and crackdowns of political opponents, was sworn in on Thursday as dissidents urged international leaders not to play ball with the regime.

He played a key role in a "death commission" that ordered the executions of thousands of political prisoners in 1988. The U.S. government has noted Raisi's involvement in what it described as a "brutal" crackdown on Iran’s Green Movement protesters following the 2009 election.