Cause of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani's Death Announced as 'Cardiac Arrest'

The Iranian Minister of Health announced that Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani died due to 'cardiac and respiratory issues' and stated that, according to reports he received, there was no medical team accompanying the head of the Expediency Discernment Council of Iran, indicating that there was a 'shortcoming' in this regard. According to ISNA news agency, Hassan Qazizadeh Hashemi stated that Rafsanjani had suffered from 'cardiac and respiratory issues.' He noted that based on the reports he received, the medical team was apparently not present with Rafsanjani, while 'a medical team should be present with important figures,' and if this report is correct, 'they have been negligent.' The Minister of Health also mentioned that by the time the medical team realized the situation, it was too late, and perhaps even if they had been present, they could not have done anything. He did not elaborate on why the medical team was not with Rafsanjani. The head of Shahid Tajrish Hospital also announced that Rafsanjani's cause of death was 'cardiac arrest.' According to IRNA news agency, Gholamreza Mohseni, the head of Shahid Tajrish Hospital, stated that Rafsanjani was transferred to the hospital at 18:20 on Sunday with symptoms of a heart attack and was not conscious. According to this report, 'cardiac resuscitation' efforts were made for Rafsanjani, but after more than an hour of attempts, the operation was unsuccessful, and he passed away at 19:30. Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the head of the Expediency Discernment Council of Iran and one of the founding figures of the Islamic Republic, died on Sunday, January 8, due to 'cardiac issues' while hospitalized. In this context, the state news agency IRNA reported that Rafsanjani's body would be buried on Tuesday. The Iranian government also announced that Tuesday would be a holiday and declared three days of 'public mourning.' Additionally, according to ISNA news agency, President Hassan Rouhani, First Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri, and several ministers and other senior government officials were present at Shahid Tajrish Hospital. The news agency reported that while it is said that Rafsanjani's body will be transferred to the Jamaran neighborhood of Tehran, several hundred people are still gathered in front of Shahid Tajrish Hospital 'to the extent that the entire Vali Asr Street is almost blocked, and despite warnings and confrontations from the authorities, the attendees are unwilling to leave the hospital.' According to this report, security and protective agents present at the site do not allow anyone, including journalists, to enter the hospital, and law enforcement and security agents are also refusing to accept patients.