Bahrain Mirror: Head of Iran's Expediency Council and two-time president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani died on Sunday (January 8, 2017) due to heart attack.

Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani known as "Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani" was born on 25 August, 1934 in Bahreman village.

Ayatollah Rafsanjani began his studies at a local religious school, then left his village at the age of fourteen to pursue his religious studies in Qom. He then finished his studies in Qom Hawza at the hands of senior scholars like Ayatollah Hossein Borujerdi, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Ayatollah Sayed Shahabuddin Al-Mar'ashi Al-Najafi and Ayatollah Muhammad Husayn Tabataba'i.

He started his political activism since 1961. He followed the path of the leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and was a supporter of Imam Al-Khomeini.

He was arrested by the "Savak" security apparatus for his political activism 7 times and spent 4 years and 5 months in prison.

At the last years of the Iran-Iraq war that ended in 1988, Rafsanjani was assigned as the de facto commander-in-chief of the Iranian military.

Rafsanjani was elected chairman of the Iranian parliament in 1980 and served until 1989.

He also served as president of Iran from August 3, 1989 to August 2, 1997.

He was the chairman of the Expediency Discernment Council of the System of Iran for 27 years.

Rafsanjani was a member in the Assembly of Experts since 34 years.

Arabic Version