He also contributed to civil society by advocating for institutional reforms within the constraints of the Islamic Republic’s political structure. As head of the Expediency Discernment Council, he sought to mediate between conservative and reformist tendencies, though often with limited success in later years.
Final Reflections
Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani was a master of political survival, a builder of post-war Iran, and a statesman who believed in gradual reform over confrontation. His ability to navigate shifting power dynamics made him both admired and resented across the political spectrum. While his economic policies brought prosperity to some and hardship to others, few doubt his role as one of the principal architects of the modern Iranian state.
His absence left a vacuum in Iranian politics—particularly in centrist and moderate factions—and his memory continues to serve as a rallying point for those advocating a more open and pragmatic political path within the Islamic Republic.