RNA – The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei, has hosted a mourning ceremony in memory of venerable cleric and politician, Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani.
The iconic figure on Iran’s political scene, hailed as the Leader’s “longtime companion, fellow fighter on the path of Islamic Revolution, and close colleague following the establishment of the Islamic Republic,” departed on Sunday after suffering a heart attack.
He was laid to rest at Imam Khomeini’s mausoleum in southern Tehran following a large funeral procession on Tuesday.
The Wednesday ceremony, which was held at Imam Khomeini Husayniyah, was joined by the bereaved family of the cleric, President Hassan Rouhani, Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, Judiciary Chief Sadeq Amoli-Larijani, and other government and military officials.
The event was also attended by Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Ja’fari, leader of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq Ammar al-Hakim as well as a number of other foreign dignitaries.
A defining force in the 1979 victory of the Revolution, Ayatollah Rafsanjani was the first head of Iran’s post-Revolution parliament.
Having filled the position for less than a decade, he was elected president for two consecutive terms.
He was also the chairman of the Expediency Council, a position he kept until his departure.
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