News / Politics

Iranian, foreign officials attend mourning ceremony for Ayatollah Rafsanjani

Wednesday, 11 January 2017 10:57 AM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 11 January 2017 11:12 AM ]

Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei hosts a mourning ceremony in honor of late Ayatollah Rafsanjani, January 11, 2017.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed 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.

Iranian mourners attend a large funeral ceremony for late Ayatollah Rafsanjani in Tehran, January 10, 2017. (Photo by Tasnim)

The Wednesday ceremony, which was held at Imam Khomeini Hosseiniyeh, 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’afari, 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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