Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani

Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani was an Iranian politician and cleric who served as president from 1989 to 1997 and chaired the Expediency Discernment Council.

Ruhollah Khomeini: The Iranian cleric who led the 1979 revolution and founded the Islamic Republic. Rafsanjani was a close political ally of Khomeini before and after the revolution.
President of Iran: The elected head of Iran’s executive branch, subordinate to the supreme leader. Rafsanjani held this office for two terms, from 1989 through 1997.
Pahlavi dynasty: The Iranian royal dynasty that ruled from 1925 until the 1979 revolution. Rafsanjani opposed the monarchy before helping establish the system that replaced it.
Iranian economic reconstruction: Iran’s postwar effort to rebuild infrastructure and revive economic growth after the Iran–Iraq War. Rafsanjani’s presidency prioritized reconstruction after the costly eight-year war.
Ali Khamenei: Iranian cleric and politician who became supreme leader in 1989. Rafsanjani helped secure Khamenei’s selection as supreme leader, then later became his political rival.
Expediency Discernment Council: An Iranian state body that resolves disputes between parliament and the Guardian Council and advises the supreme leader. Rafsanjani chaired the council from 1989 until his death.
Iranian Revolution: The 1979 revolution that overthrew Iran’s monarchy and established an Islamic republic. The revolution transformed Rafsanjani from opposition cleric into a leading state official.
Iranian reform movement: A political movement seeking greater civil liberties and institutional change within the Islamic Republic. Rafsanjani’s pragmatic politics intersected with, but did not simply coincide with, later reformist currents.
Mohammad Javad Bahonar: Iranian cleric and politician who served briefly as prime minister in 1981. Bahonar and Rafsanjani were prominent figures in the Islamic Republican Party.
Supreme Leader of Iran: Iran’s highest political and religious authority, with extensive powers over state institutions. The office bounded presidential authority and became central to Rafsanjani’s later political struggles.

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