Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani emerged from the power struggle following the death of the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989. During Rafsanjani’s term as president of Iran (1989-1997) he improved relations with the West and became known for carving out a middle ground between conservatives’ pressure for insularity and his inclination toward modernization. He is pictured here during the sixth Organization of Islamic Conference summit in December 1991.
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