Former Iranian president Hashemi Rafsanjani has died aged 82.<br /><br /> State media reported he died from a heart attack after being rushed to hospital in Tehran on Sunday.<br /><br /> Described as Iran’s greatest political survivor, he was a founding member of the Islamic Revolution in 1979. During the 80s and 90s he became a close confidante to current supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He became the fourth president of Iran serving two terms from 1989 to 1997.<br /><br /> He remained an influential figure, heading the Expediency Council, which resolves disputes between the parliament and the Guardian Council. <br /><br /> His death will come as a blow for moderate reformists, for whom he was a figurehead.<br />
