Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who has died aged 82, was one of the leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran and a shrewd politician whom many Iranians saw as both a blessing and a curse for their country.
At home, he was seen as Iran’s saviour at critical times, as when he pushed for a nuclear deal with major powers in 2015 to help prevent a war, yet ruthless at others, such as when he failed to prevent the mass execution of dissidents in the 1980s.
Rafsanjani’s death came as a shock to Iranians and is expected by many analysts to have big implications for an Islamic establishment whose first generation is aging and dying. The loss of such a heavyweight may further intensify the power struggle between reformers who argue that pro-democracy changes are essential for the regime’s survival and hardliners who resist opening up the country.