Rafsanjani, who served two terms as Iran's president from 1989 to 1997, continued to be an influential figure in Iranian politics.

At the time of his death he was the chairman of the Expediency Council, which aims to settle disputes between the country's parliament and the Guardian Council.

Rafsanjani was seen as a key figure in Iran's moderate movement and was a vocal supporter of current Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.</s>Former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a wily political survivor and multimillionaire mogul who remained among the ruling elite despite moderate views, died Sunday, state TV reported. He was 82.

Iranian media reported earlier Sunday that he was taken to a hospital north of Tehran because of a heart condition. State television broke into programming to announce his death.

Rafsanjani's mix of sly wit and reputation for cunning moves - both in politics and business - earned him a host of nicknames such as Akbar Shah, or Great King, during a life that touched every major event in Iranian affairs since before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

His presence - whether directly or through back channels - was felt in many forms. He was a steady leader in Iran's turbulent years after overthrowing the U.S.-backed shah, a veteran warrior in the country's internal political battles and a covert go-between in intrigue such as the Iran-Contra arms deals in the 1980s.

He also was handed an unexpected political resurgence in his later years.

The surprise presidential election in 2013 of Rafsanjani's political soul mate, Hassan Rouhani, gave the former president an insider role in reform-minded efforts that included Rouhani's push for direct nuclear talks with Washington.

Rouhani's victory was also another example of Rafsanjani's remarkable political luck. Rafsanjani was blocked from the ballot by Iran's election overseers - presumably worried about boosting his already wide-ranging influence. But, in the end, many liberals turned to Rouhani as an indirect vote for Rafsanjani.

It came after years of dwindling influence. Another presidential comeback bid was snuffed out by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's surprise victory in 2005 elections, which left Rafsanjani and his powerful clan as fierce critics of Ahmadinejad.</s>Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Mr Rafsanjani served as Iran's president from 1989 to 1997

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has led tributes to former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who has died at the age of 82.

Ayatollah Khamenei hailed a "companion of struggle" despite their differences, saying this was a "difficult" loss.

President Hassan Rouhani praised Mr Rafsanjani as a great man of the Islamic revolution.

The government has announced three days of mourning, making Tuesday a public holiday for his funeral in Tehran.

Mr Rafsanjani, who served as president from 1989 to 1997, was pivotal in the 1979 revolution. But later in life he became a counterpoint to hardline conservatives.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Mr Rafsanjani was one of Iran's most influential figures, says BBC Persian service's Kasra Naji

"The different opinions and interpretations at time in this long period could never entirely break up the friendship between us," said Ayatollah Khamenei.

Mr Rafsanjani died on Sunday in a hospital in Tehran after suffering a heart attack.

His body was taken to Jamaran prayer hall, the residence of the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Rohullah Khomeini, where relatives, politicians and religious figures gathered to pay their last respects.

Image copyright AP Image caption Mr Rafsanjani's daughter Fatemeh and son Mehdi mourn over the ex-president's coffin

Image copyright EPA Image caption People gathered outside hospital where Mr Rafsanjani died

Mr Rafsanjani had been a mentor to President Rouhani, whom he supported after his own attempt to run in the 2013 election as a reformist candidate was rejected by the powerful Guardian Council.

Mr Rouhani said on Twitter: "The soul of the great man of the revolution, symbol of patience and resistance, has gone to Heaven."

Analysts say Mr Rafsanjani's sudden death is a major blow to the president, who is preparing for re-election in May.

Iranian newspapers pay tribute

Iranian newspapers across the political spectrum are paying tribute to Mr Rafsanjani. Most front pages are splashed with pictures and captions highlighting his central role in Iranian politics. Many have used black as a background.

"Iran mourns the death of contemporary Amir Kabir," moderate Arman-e Emruz announces, comparing Rafsanjani to the man widely considered to be Iran's first reformer and moderniser.

An "irretrievable loss", moderate daily Iran laments, while reformist Aftab-e Yazd, under a picture of Mr Rafsanjani's grieving children, affirms that "Iran is mourning".

Even hard-line dailies are joining in the accolades. Javan notes his closeness to the founder of the Islamic republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in its headline: "Man of tough days of fighting and friend of Imam and the Leader rushes to meet God."

Hard-line Vatan-e Emrooz describes him as "one of the pillars" and "a genuine figure" of Iran's Islamic Revolution.

BBC Monitoring reports and analyses news from TV, radio, web and print media around the world. You can follow BBC Monitoring on Twitter and Facebook.

Image copyright EPA Image caption Mr Rafsanjani had warm relations with President Hassan Rouhani (L)

BBC Persian's Kasra Naji says Mr Rafsanjani was a great survivor of the Iranian revolution, always managing to stay afloat in the unending political struggles between the hardliners and the moderates, remaining influential.

In recent years, our correspondent says, he has been a central figure in the reform movement that has been trying to have a moderating influence on Iran and Ayatollah Khamenei.

Mr Rafsanjani's final role was head of the Expediency Council, which tries to resolve disputes between parliament and the Guardian Council.

Image copyright AFP Image caption Mr Rafsanjani was a key player in the ending of the Iran-Iraq War

Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani was born in 1934 in south-eastern Iran to a family of farmers.

He studied theology in the holy city of Qom with Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini - who went on to lead the Islamic revolution of 1979 - and was imprisoned several times under the Shah.

In the last year of the 1980-88 war with Iraq, Ayatollah Khomeini appointed him acting commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

He was seen as the main mover behind Iran's acceptance of the UN Security Council resolution that ended the war.

Mr Rafsanjani was also a key player in the development of Iran's nuclear programme, and recently gave staunch support to the landmark 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

He was a man known for a sharp wit but who could also be ruthless.

He advocated progressive economic policies, encouraging private businesses and improving infrastructure. His own business holdings were reported to be widespread.

Mr Rafsanjani ran for a third time for president in 2005 but lost to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Image copyright AFP Image caption His son Mehdi Hashemi Rafsanjani was jailed in 2015

Mr Rafsanjani became openly critical of the victorious president and in 2009, he sided with reformers who disputed that year's elections. Nevertheless, Mr Ahmadinejad won a second term.

Mr Rafsanjani continued to champion moderate causes, such as the release of political prisoners and greater political freedoms for parties prepared to work within the constitution.

Some of the members of Mr Rafsanjani's family have also made the headlines. His daughter Faezeh Hashemi attracted the ire of hardliners when she met a leader of the Bahai religious minority - which Iran's leadership regards as a heretical sect - last year.

And his son Mehdi Hashemi Rafsanjani was jailed in 2015 after being convicted of "security offences and financial crimes".</s>(AP) Former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a wily political survivor and multimillionaire mogul who remained among the ruling elite despite moderate views, died Sunday, state TV reported. He was 82.

Iranian media reported earlier Sunday that he was taken to a hospital north of Tehran because of a heart condition. State television broke into programming to announce his death.

Rafsanjani’s mix of sly wit and reputation for cunning moves – both in politics and business – earned him a host of nicknames such as Akbar Shah, or Great King, during a life that touched every major event in Iranian affairs since before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

His presence – whether directly or through back channels – was felt in many forms. He was a steady leader in Iran’s turbulent years after overthrowing the U.S.-backed shah, a veteran warrior in the country’s internal political battles and a covert go-between in intrigue such as the Iran-Contra arms deals in the 1980s.

He also was handed an unexpected political resurgence in his later years.

The surprise presidential election in 2013 of Rafsanjani’s political soul mate, Hassan Rouhani, gave the former president an insider role in reform-minded efforts that included Rouhani’s push for direct nuclear talks with Washington.

Rouhani’s victory was also another example of Rafsanjani’s remarkable political luck. Rafsanjani was blocked from the ballot by Iran’s election overseers – presumably worried about boosting his already wide-ranging influence. But, in the end, many liberals turned to Rouhani as an indirect vote for Rafsanjani.

It came after years of dwindling influence. Another presidential comeback bid was snuffed out by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s surprise victory in 2005 elections, which left Rafsanjani and his powerful clan as fierce critics of Ahmadinejad.</s>Rafsanjani, who served two terms as Iran's president from 1989 to 1997, continued to be an influential figure in Iranian politics.

At the time of his death he was the chairman of the Expediency Council, which aims to settle disputes between the country's parliament and the Guardian Council.

Rafsanjani was seen as a key figure in Iran's moderate movement and was a vocal supporter of current Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.</s>Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has clashed with the country’s powerful and conservative judiciary, in a rare public row as tensions rise ahead of this year’s presidential election. The moderate Rouhani, who is expected to stand for a second four-year term in the May vote, has targeted the judiciary in a series of public statements over the case of a billionaire businessman on death row for corruption. Judiciary chief Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani has hit back with accusations of his own, and today supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made reference to the dispute.

Watch what else is making news:



In a speech to thousands of people in the religious city of Qom, Khamenei alluded to “recent arguments” among powerful figures, adding: “This will be resolved with the help of God.”

Rouhani launched the first salvo in a speech late last month referring to the case of Babak Zanjani, sentenced to death for fraud and other financial crimes in March after a lengthy trial that saw him convicted of fraudulently pocketing USD 2.8 billion.

Zanjani was arrested in 2013, three months after Rouhani took office pledging a crackdown on corruption. He rose to prominence after sanctions were imposed on Iran over its nuclear programme, boasting in media interviews of finding ways around banking restrictions to ensure Tehran continued to receive money for international oil sales.

In his speech, Rouhani appeared to suggest that the judiciary had not done enough against others potentially involved in the case or to recover funds embezzled by Zanjani.

“How is it possible that a single man can pocket $3 billion? Who has helped him? Who are his accomplices?” Rouhani asked.

The death sentence against Zanjani was “very well”, Rouhani said, “but what becomes of the money?” Last week Larijani hit back, defending the judiciary’s handling of the case and criticising the government for not doing enough to help track down missing funds.

“It should not be implied that the judiciary has done little on this case,” Larijani said, insisting it was working “to recover the misappropriated money”.

“The case remains open… we have summoned former ministers and the former director of the central bank,” he said.

Larijani, brother of the moderately conservative parliament speaker Ali Larijani, said the government and foreign ministry were “not doing their duty of tracing the money taken abroad by Zanjani”.

Iranian authorities have so far only been able to recover about USD 600 million of the embezzled money from the seizure of Zanjani’s assets in Iran.

Larijani called on the foreign ministry to demand information on the funds from the governments of Malaysia, Turkey, Tajikistan and China. The ministry replied that it had given its “full cooperation” to the judiciary.

Larijani also revealed claims made by Zanjani during his questioning that he had paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to presidential candidates in 2013.</s>Death Of A Former Iranian President May Shape The Race For The Next One

Iran's former president, Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, was buried Tuesday, and the large outpouring of grief at his funeral reflects the uncertainty facing Iranian moderates.

Rafsanjani may have risen along with the country's 1979 Islamic revolution that toppled the U.S.-backed shah, but in later years, his pragmatic streak and respected position made him a leading voice of moderation.

Rafsanjani was seen as one crucial pillar in the power base of President Hassan Rouhani, who won election in 2013 after the conservative Guardian Council rejected Rafsanjani's own candidacy. The other major source of Rouhani's support is another former president, Mohammad Khatami, who has effectively been under house arrest in recent years.

Rafsanjani's death, just months before Rouhani is expected to stand for re-election in May, leaves the moderate wing of Iran's political establishment without one of its most important voices.

"It really does create a political vacuum in some ways," says Ali Ansari, professor of Iranian history at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. With Rafsanjani gone and Khatami under wraps, he says, this hole has opened up at a crucial time.

Ansari says the months ahead will be a real political test of whether Rouhani, who shepherded a controversial nuclear agreement with world powers past hardline opposition, has enough of a power base of his own to make up for the absence of Rafsanjani.

"You know, I have my doubts about it," he says. "I've never felt that Rouhani is as big a player as some of the previous generation."

At stake is Rouhani's — and Rafsanjani's — belief that Iran's best hope for the future lies in outreach to the world and better relations with other countries, not the inward-looking self reliance often preached by Iran's hardliners, including Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.

In an appraisal in The New Yorker, Robin Wright wrote that Rafsanjani advocated better ties with the West, including America. Not long ago, he tweeted, "World of tomorrow is one of negotiations, not the world of missiles."

A different take on Rafsanjani's political legacy and the impact his absence will have on the political scene comes from Gary Sick, senior researcher at Columbia University's Middle East program.

"Contrary to some of my colleagues, my guess is that Rafsanjani's departure will have very little actual impact on the course of developments," he wrote in a blog post.

"If I were in Rouhani's shoes, I would certainly be sorry to lose an ally with such sterling revolutionary credentials. After all, the centrists need all the friends they can get," he added. "However, the outcome of the next election will depend on Rouhani's ability to persuade Iranians that they are better off with the nuclear agreement and that he is capable of defending Iran's interests better than any alternative choice."

Last year's nuclear accord remains one of Rouhani's chief accomplishments, and it has brought an infusion of cash, as frozen overseas Iranian assets were released. There have also been major commercial aviation deals and a notable increase in Iranian oil exports since the deal. But economists say the benefits have yet to trickle down to the Iranian street, where they might do Rouhani some political good.

So far, Rouhani has not announced his intentions for the May elections, though supporters say he's likely to run again. Thus far, only a few other candidates have announced. Analysts say former Tehran mayor Mahmoud Ghalibaf may make another run.

Hardliners are eager to make Rouhani a one-term candidate, and the man he succeeded, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has been mentioned as a possible contender.

With Rafsanjani's passing, the number of Iran's founding revolutionaries still in roles of influence is shrinking. Some analysts see an imminent "generational change" for the Islamic Republic. Ansari, for one, wonders if that change will mean more moderation — or less.

"I think the worry for some of us is that really, what you have with Khamenei and ... many of those in the Revolutionary Guard, but also the political elite following on, [is a group that's] much less interested in the West, and much more tied to a sort of Russian alliance," he says. "So it's not at all clear that the change in guard will lead to a more moderating influence."</s>TEHRAN: Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has clashed with the country’s powerful and conservative judiciary, in a rare public row as tensions rise ahead of this year’s presidential election.

The moderate Rouhani, who is expected to stand for a second four-year term in the May vote, has targeted the judiciary in a series of public statements over the case of a billionaire businessman on death row for corruption.

Judiciary chief Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani has hit back with accusations of his own, and on Sunday supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made reference to the dispute.

In a speech to thousands of people in the religious city of Qom, Khamenei alluded to “recent arguments” among powerful figures, adding: “This will be resolved with the help of God.”

Rouhani launched the first salvo in a speech late last month referring to the case of Babak Zanjani, sentenced to death for fraud and other financial crimes in March after a lengthy trial that saw him convicted of fraudulently pocketing $2.8 billion.

Zanjani was arrested in 2013, three months after Rouhani took office pledging a crackdown on corruption.

He rose to prominence after sanctions were imposed on Iran over its nuclear programme, boasting in media interviews of finding ways around banking restrictions to ensure Tehran continued to receive money for international oil sales.

In his speech, Rouhani appeared to suggest that the judiciary had not done enough against others potentially involved in the case or to recover funds embezzled by Zanjani.

“How is it possible that a single man can pocket $3 billion? Who has helped him? Who are his accomplices?” Rouhani asked.

The death sentence against Zanjani was “very well”, Rouhani said, “but what becomes of the money?”

Last week Larijani hit back, defending the judiciary’s handling of the case and criticising the government for not doing enough to help track down missing funds.

“It should not be implied that the judiciary has done little on this case,” Larijani said, insisting it was working “to recover the misappropriated money”. “The case remains open... we have summoned former ministers and the former director of the central bank,” he said.

Larijani, brother of the moderately conservative parliament speaker Ali Larijani, said the government and foreign ministry were “not doing their duty of tracing the money taken abroad by Zanjani”.

Iranian authorities have so far only been able to recover about $600 million of the embezzled money from the seizure of Zanjani’s assets in Iran. Larijani called on the foreign ministry to demand information on the funds from the governments of Malaysia, Turkey, Tajikistan and China. The ministry replied that it had given its “full cooperation” to the judiciary.

Larijani also revealed claims made by Zanjani during his questioning that he had paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to presidential candidates in 2013. The judiciary chief provided no names but said it would begin to investigate the alleged payments.

That claim appeared to raise the stakes in the dispute and prompted Rouhani to urge the judiciary disclose its own financial dealings.

“The government is ready to shed light on its accounts and expects the judiciary to do the same,” Rouhani said on Tuesday on Twitter, in an apparent reference to recent criticism of judiciary bank accounts managed directly by its chief.

“The judiciary accounts are transparent and anyone can view them,” judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejeie said in response to the tweet, demanding Rouhani “take action” for transparency.

“They need to tell the public how much Mr. Rouhani spent on the 2013 presidential campaign and where they money came from,” Mohseni Ejeie said.

Some critics have accused Rouhani of attacking the judiciary to appeal to his moderate base and divert attention from a lack of immediate economic results from the nuclear deal.

The 2015 agreement between Tehran and six world powers, which saw sanctions lifted in exchange for curbs on Iran’s nuclear programme, is expected to be a centrepiece of Rouhani’s re-election campaign.

In his speech on Sunday, Khamenei appeared to urge the two sides to overcome their differences.

“The existence of an independent and courageous judiciary must be appreciated by everyone,” he said. “What defeats the enemy in its objectives is to have a strong judiciary and a government that is both brave and can plan accurately.”

Rouhani clashes with judiciary in run-up to vote was posted in World of TheNews International - https://www.thenews.com.pk on January 09, 2017 and was last updated on January 09, 2017. This news story is related to Print/177798-Rouhani-clashes-with-judiciary-in-run-up-to-vote/ - breaking news, latest news, pakistan ne. Permanent link to the news story "Rouhani clashes with judiciary in run-up to vote" is https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/177798-Rouhani-clashes-with-judiciary-in-run-up-to-vote.</s>He was also an economic reformer, who contributed greatly to liberalization of the economy and social sphere of the country.

Despite the fact that in the last few years his political glory seemed to have diminished slightly, his influence in international politics is still well remembered because it was his support in the Iranian presidential election of 2013 that became one of the main factors helping current president Hassan Rouhani win.

The new president and the events that followed eventually led to the signing of the Iranian nuclear agreement.

Sputnik spoke with Afifeh Abedi member of the research group on Eurasian region at the Scientific Center of Expediency Council's Strategic Research of Iran. For the 15 years the center was led by Hashemi Rafsanjani.

“Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani was not just a politician, but also one of the founders of the Islamic Republic of Iran. His role in establishment of the Islamic Republic was very prominent,” Abedi said.

“He was the president and also head of one of the most powerful state authorities in Iran, which elects the Supreme Leader of the country, the Council of Experts. Ayatollah Rafsanjani in his political life was a great pragmatist,” Abedi told Sputnik Persian.

The analyst further said that during Rafsanjani’s presidency he tried to establish friendly and peaceful relations with all countries and especially with Middle Eastern states.

“Of course, relations with our ally Russia during his presidency gained a new dimension: some of the most important treaties and agreements on cooperation were signed between the two countries during his visit to Moscow.”

In 2013, it was this support for Rafsanjani that became one of the main factors of victory of Hassan Rouhani's presidential election which then led to the monumental signing of the nuclear agreement.

Chief Editor of Iranian newspaper Iran News, Emad Abshenass, told Sputnik that Ayatollah Rafsanjani has always been a political shield that defended the interests of the country on the international stage and contributed to its stability in the region. “For us it is a big political loss,” Abshenass said.

The editor further said that Rafsanjani had a lot of respect among many world politicians. Even after he was no longer the president, “no matter which delegation traveled to Iran, they always wanted to be sure to see and talk to Mr. Rafsanjani.”

“It speaks of how his authority in international politics was strong and how much he was respected among the leaders of various countries,” Abshenass said.

He further said that the former president was a shield that protected the state system, leading it to success. It was his great role which led to the peaceful settlement of the Iranian nuclear program.

“It was his close-knit team, headed by the current president, Hassan Rouhani which made every effort at the time of negotiations for the Iranian nuclear program, which helped resolving it in a peaceful manner. The result of these efforts was the signing of the nuclear agreement,” the editor concluded.</s>Iran's President Hassan Rouhani has clashed with the country's powerful and conservative judiciary, in a rare public row as tensions rise ahead of this year's presidential election. The moderate Rouhani, who is expected to stand for a second four-year term in the May vote, has targeted the judiciary in a series of public statements over the case of a billionaire businessman on death row for corruption.

Start the conversation, or Read more at Yahoo!.
President Hassan Rouhani praises Rafsanjani as a great man of the Iranian Revolution.