Iranian ex-President Rafsanjani Dies

The former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has died aged 82, according to local media reports.

Rafsanjani, who served as president from 1989 to 1997, was a leading politician who has often played kingmaker in the country’s turbulent politics.

The official IRNA news agency reported earlier on Sunday that  Rafsanjani was taken to a public hospital north of  Tehran.

The semi-official ISNA news agency quoted Mohammad Hashemi, his brother, as saying that Rafsanjani was in good condition.