Former Iranian President Rafsanjani is dead at 82

Iranian state media reported Sunday that Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Iran's former president, is dead at 82.

Rafsanjani was president of Iran from 1989 to 1997. But whether as president or in other roles, Rafsanjani has been one of the most powerful figures Iran for more than three and a half decades, since the toppling of the former Shah of Iran in 1979. He helped steer the country's military during the Iran-Iraq War and was known as a kingmaker in Iranian politics. Rafsanjani e Hassan Rouhani

Rafsanjani's has been in a strong position in recent years since the election as president in 2013 of his protege, Hassan Rouhani.

Rafsanjani had a reputation as a relative "moderate" among Iranian leaders, supporting market reforms that transferred power from the government to the private sector.

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