Following Khomeini’s death, he played a role in the selection of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as supreme leader, Iran’s most powerful figure. A close aide said Rafsanjani had “always acted as a go-between whenever political infighting intensified and could harm the Islamic Republic”. “No one has his political and revolutionary credentials to replace him ... his death has created a major political vacuum in Iran,” Tehran-based political analyst Saeed Leylaz said by telephone. “His absence will radicalise the atmosphere.”Rafsanjani, with a political career spanning over half a century, held most of the top positions in Iran’s political structure including parliamentary speaker, armed forces commander and president from 1989 to 1997. The deal curbed Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of most sanctions.

Source: The Star January 14, 2017 23:20 UTC