Iran Press/Iran news: A number of family members and Iranian officials including Iranian president Hassan Rouhani, attended a ceremony held at the conference hall of the Islamic Cooperation Organization, on Thursday.
Speaking at the second anniversary of the ceremony, Hassan Rouhani said, “The name of Hashemi Rafsanjani is bound up with Iran’s glory and despite the lashes he received to his soul, people showed that the services of those who care about the nation cannot be erased through slander and lies,” Iran Press reported.
Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani passed away on January 8, 2017 of a heart attack. The body of the first-generation revolutionary was buried in the mausoleum of Imam Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, in southern Tehran.
Born in 1934 in a village in eastern province of Kerman, Rafsanjani grew up in a wealthy family.
He started his political career in the 1960s, acquainting himself with the views of the to-be founder of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Rouhollah Khomeini.
Soon he proved leadership qualities, winning the trust of Ayatollah Khomeini. He was arrested time and again by security forces of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last monarch of Iran, for his key role in anti-monarchy campaigns.
With the triumph of the Islamic Revolution in 1979, Rafsanjani became the first parliament speaker of the post-revolution Iran.
In 1980, Ayatollah Khomeini tapped Rafsanjani as commander of the war after Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein waged the war against the fledgling revolution.
He served the revolution in his capacity as parliament speaker (1980-1988), president (1989-1997), and chairman of the Expediency Council (1998-to his death). He was also the head of the Assembly of Experts from 2007 until 2011 and interim Friday prayer preacher of Tehran from 1981 to 2009. 101
