Rafsanjani dies of heart attack; Khamenei loses cover
Rafsanjani was indicted in Argentina for his role in the AMIA
bombing that killed 86 Argentinean Jews in 1994, and was also
cited in the 1996 Mykonos murders in Germany for his role in
directing "hit squads" that assassinated Iranian opposition
leaders living overseas. He was also named as a defendant in Havlish v. Islamic Republic of
Iran, litigation brought by family members of 9/11 victims
against the Iranian regime that led to a $6 billion judgment
against the regime and against Rafsanjani personally.
Rafsanjani invited nuclear scientists to return
from exile in the mid-1980s and is widely viewed as the "father"
of Iran's covert nuclear weapons program, having famously declared
his belief that Iran could destroy Israel with a single nuclear
weapon. ("The use of an atomic bomb against Israel would destroy
Israel completely, while the same against Iran would only cause
damages. Such a scenario is not inconceivable," he said in a sermon
at Tehran University on Dec. 14, 2001).
The wily pseudo-moderate provided cover to Khamenei and other
"hard-liners" by offering them a life-line to the West, and
is widely credited with having pushed hard for the Iran deal with
the United States and the EU-3. Nevertheless, in recent years his
power has been challenged by the IRGC, which arrested his own
children (since released) and protege's, including members of
Atieh Bahar, a consulting company established by Iranians in the
United States with the goal of helping foreign companies do
business in Iran.
Rafsanjani's reach continues to be on display in the United
States, where his sympathizers include the editor of Voice of
America's Persian News Network, Mohammad Manzarpour. When
Rafsanjani's death was announced, Manzarpour changed his Facebook page to
a well-known Koranic verse used to express sympathy for someone
who has just died.
Kenneth R. Timmerman is Executive Director of the Foundation
for Democracy in Iran. Contact him by email.