Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Co-founder of the Islamic Republic, Passes Away

Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the head of the Expediency Discernment Council of Iran and a founding figure of the Islamic Republic, passed away on Sunday, January 9, due to heart complications while hospitalized. Several news agencies and sources in Iran, including Fars and ILNA, have confirmed Rafsanjani's death, but his official website and affiliated social media accounts have remained silent on the matter. In this context, news sources reported that Hassan Rouhani, the President, immediately visited Shahid Tajrish Hospital, where Rafsanjani was admitted, after news about his condition was released. A few hours earlier, the state news agency IRNA, citing an 'informed source,' reported that the head of the Expediency Discernment Council was hospitalized in one of Tehran's hospitals due to heart complications. Mohammad Hashemi, Rafsanjani's brother and his chief of staff, also told ISNA that Rafsanjani was hospitalized on Sunday due to a 'condition' but that 'his health is improving.' However, he did not specify the nature of Rafsanjani's ailment. Additionally, Hossein Marashi, a close associate of Rafsanjani, told the Iran newspaper that Rafsanjani's condition was serious. Rafsanjani was 82 years old at the time of his death. After the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, he became one of the powerful figures in the Islamic Republic, serving as the Speaker of the Parliament for over two terms and as President for two terms. During Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidency, Rafsanjani became a critic of Ahmadinejad and some institutions under the Supreme Leader's authority. For three decades, Rafsanjani was one of the closest individuals to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic. In June 2009, just days before the presidential elections, he wrote an open letter to the Supreme Leader protesting the accusations made by Ahmadinejad against him and his family, urging Ayatollah Khamenei to ensure the integrity of the elections. The Supreme Leader never officially responded to this letter, but some of his close associates regarded it as a catalyst for the protests following the 2009 presidential elections, labeling Rafsanjani as the 'head of the sedition.' Additionally, several activists and political figures have criticized him as someone who faced repression or attacks from security and intelligence forces during his presidency. The name of his Minister of Intelligence during his presidency, Ali Fallahian, has been mentioned in connection with serial killings and other deadly attacks against opponents. At the same time, it is said that he initiated extensive economic activities for the Revolutionary Guards in Iran. Although he later stated in an interview, 'Our agreement with the Guards was for construction, not ownership.' In politics and foreign relations, his name has been associated with some of the most significant events and incidents of the past decades; events that are accompanied by accusations against him. For example, Argentine prosecutors included his name among other suspects in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish center in Buenos Aires. Mehdi Hashemi, the son of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, has been serving a 10-year prison sentence since August 9, although he has been released to attend his father's funeral. Another of his children, Faezah Hashemi, was imprisoned for six months after the 2009 elections.