How Rafsanjani’s Death Affects The Political Balance In Iran

Mourners attend the funeral of former Iranian President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani on Tuesday. Rafsanjani, who was 82, was a key figure in the foundation of the Islamic Republic in 1979, and served as president from 1989 to 1997.
Mourners attend the funeral of former Iranian President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani on Tuesday. Rafsanjani, who was 82, was a key figure in the foundation of the Islamic Republic in 1979, and served as president from 1989 to 1997.
Mourners attend the funeral of former Iranian President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani on Tuesday. Rafsanjani, who was 82, was a key figure in the foundation of the Islamic Republic in 1979, and served as president from 1989 to 1997.
Mourners attend the funeral of former Iranian President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani on Tuesday. Rafsanjani, who was 82, was a key figure in the foundation of the Islamic Republic in 1979, and served as president from 1989 to 1997.

How Rafsanjani’s Death Affects The Political Balance In Iran

Former Iranian President Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani was laid to rest this week.

Often referred to by his nickname “Kingmaker, Rafsanjani occupied an important space between hardliners and reformers in Iran’s political spectrum.

To hear more about how his death could affect Iran’s political equilibrium, we turn to Ahmad Sadri, professor of Islamic World Studies at Lake Forest College.