TEHRAN, Iran (AP) – Mourners from all walks of life in Iran – from the country’s president to passers-by on the street – paid their respects Monday to the late Iranian leader Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani following his death over the weekend at the age of 82.
President Hassan Rouhani and his administration visited the mosque in northern Tehran where Rafsanjani’s body was brought. Mourners, including Rafsanjani’s family members, wept at the sight of his coffin, reaching out to touch it.
Newspapers in Iran published front-page photographs of Rafsanjani, who died Sunday after suffering a heart attack, while state television aired archival clips of his comments and speeches. The country is observing three days of mourning, and Rafsanjani’s funeral is set for Tuesday.
Parliament speaker Ali Larijani paid tribute to the late leader at the start of Monday’s session. He described Rafsanjani as “a man for hard days whose name has been always accompanying revolution and it will always be so.”
Tehran residents also expressed their grief at the loss of Rafsanjani.