TEHRAN (SW): Hundreds of thousands of Iranians have turned out in the capital, Tehran, for the funeral of former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.
Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, president from 1989 to 1997, died of a heart attack on Sunday at the age of 82.
State television showed a sea of mourners in the streets around the Tehran University campus, where the prayers were held. Tuesday’s funeral prayers were attended by senior political, military and religious figures from both the reformist and hardline camps, including President Hassan Rouhani and Revolutionary Guards commander Qassem Soleimani. The funeral prayer was led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
According to the BBC, tributes and condolences have come from around the world, though many Iranians abroad have taken to social media to criticize the suppression of dissent and human rights under Rafsanjani.
The US, a bitter foe of Iran during Rafsanjani's tenure, described the ex-president as a "prominent figure" in Iranian history, saying it sent its condolences to his family.
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