Hashemi Rafsanjani

Hashemi Rafsanjani (born August 25, 1934, Bahremān, Iran—died January 8, 2017, Tehrān) was an Iranian cleric and politician, who was president of Iran from 1989 to 1997. Although close to Ali Khamenei, whom he helped become supreme leader, Rafsanjani lost the favor of Iran’s conservative establishment in the late 2000s when he became a vocal opponent of Pres. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (2005–13).