Rafsanjani death may deepen political infighting

Irans President Hassan Rouhani prays next to the body of former president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani during a mourning ceremony in Tehran, Iran January 9, 2017. Picture taken January 9, 2017. President.ir/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVE.

While many Iranians are frustrated by unfulfilled promises, hardliners are aiming to regain control over executive power.

THE death of former president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani deprives Iran’s reformers of a powerful ally, boosting anti-Western hardliners before a presidential election which will determine how open Tehran is to the world.