Alwaght – Iranian Supreme Leader issued a condoling message for the sudden death of his "old friend" and ex-president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani on Sunday.
Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei condoled with the family of the late top diplomat over his sudden death calling it the "sudden demise of an old friend and ally of the era of Islamic Movement and a close colleague during the Islamic Republic era".
Iranian supreme leader called Ayatollah Rafsanjani a friend of "high intelligence and rare devotion" who had been a companion for years.
Pointing to his 59 years of friendship and cooperation with Rafsanjani, the Leader said losing such an old colleague would be "hard and heart-rending."
"His great intelligence and unique sincerity in those years were a source of confidence for colleagues, and for me in particular,” Ayatollah Khamenei underscored.
The Leader further said that differences of opinion and disagreements during these long years were unable to break bonds and friendship between him and Hashemi Rafsanjani despite the efforts made by plotters to take advantage of these disagreements.
Ayatollah Rafsanjani passed away at a hospital in northern Tehran on Sunday at the age of 82 due to a heart condition.