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Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani is often referred to as one of the pillars of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He has weathered numerous storms since the 1979 Iranian Revolution, suffered career setbacks, and even been at odds with the supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, over the contested 2009 presidential elections.
Now, with his son’s 10-year corruption conviction upheld in an Iranian court and with the 2016 Assembly of Experts elections to lobby for behind the scenes, Rafsanjani is playing the part of elder statesman, engaging in Instagram diplomacy with Khamenei, making conciliatory remarks about Iran’s regional rival Saudi Arabia to Arab media, and taking a very public hard line against Israel.
