Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Khamenei in his message condoled with bereaved family and relatives of the late Revolutionary figure and recalled long background of their friendship. Here is full text of Leader's message of condolence:
In the Name of Allah the Compassionate the Merciful
Indeed we belong to Allah, and to Him do we indeed return
With sorrow and sigh, news of sudden demise of an old intimate friend, co-fighter and united friend during Islamic Revolution fights, and a colleague through many years in time of the Islamic Republic esteemed Hojjat al-Islam wal-Moslemin Sheikh Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani was announced to me. Loss of a combatant and concordant figure with whom the history of our cooperation and beginning of empathy and cooperation is as long as whole 59 years, is difficult and an agony. So many difficulties and bottlenecks came to us through these decades and so many empathies and sympathies in many occasions guided us in a shared path toward endeavor, tolerance and risk-taking. His abundant wisdom and unique intimacy through the years, was a confident fulcrum for everyone who was working with him, particularly myself. Differences in views and different jurisprudential conclusions in some points during this long history could never completely break the bond of friendship which was made between the two holy shrines in Karbala; and seditions of sneaky tempters who, in recent years, were seriously after taking advantage of such theoretical differences, could never impact his deep personal passion for humble me.
He was a unique example of first generation of combatants fighting against oppression of regime of Shah and one of those who suffered a lot on this dangerous and honorable path.
Years of imprisonment and tolerating tortures of SAVAK [Shah’s intelligence service] and resistance against all these things and then serious responsibilities during Holy Defense and chairing the Islamic Consultative Assembly and Assembly of Experts, etc. were bright chapters in the life this veteran combatant who saw many ups and downs.
With loss of Hashemi I don’t know any other figure with whom I have had so many shared experiences and long history in ups and downs of this era which made history.
Now this veteran combatant is facing Divine Reckoning with a profile full of endeavors and various activities and this is fate of all of us, the officials of the Islamic Republic.
I pray from deep in my heart for Divine blessings, mercy and forgiveness for him and express my condolences to his esteemed wife, his children and brothers and other relatives.
May God bless us and him
Seyyed Ali Khamenei
19 Dey 1395
8 January 2017