Rafsanjani, who served as president from 1989 to 1997, was a leading politician who often played kingmaker in the country's turbulent politics. She said: “With the death of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, one of the two pillars and keys to the equilibrium of the religious fascism ruling Iran has collapsed and the regime in its entirety is approaching overthrow.”

It is believed that his death will be a setback to the re-election campaign of current President Hassan Rouhani. He is occasionally portrayed as a moderate, due to his opposition of the “hardline” President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad; however, there are no real moderates within the Iranian Regime.
The Iranian government declares three days of national mourning following the death of the former president and one of the key figures in the Islamic Republic.