Mehdi Hashemi Rafsanjani, son of former president Rafsanjani, is still being chased by the country’s hardliners, but knows that so far he’s the Wily Coyote in the race.
Fundamentalist turned filmmaker Mohammad Nourizad was in attendance. Fars News published his photos in order to use them against him later
Mohammad Kavakabian wanted to become president and move the capital to Semnan, but both dreams still elude him. Former vice president Mohammad Ali Abtahi appears to be regaining his color.
Iran’s First Lady, Sahebeh Araaby, wife of President Hassan Rouhani, came to pay her respects, a rare moment for the paparazzi.
Taymour Ali Akari has been spoken of for numerous posts under Rouhani, but hasn’t managed to snare a single one yet. He remains tucked under the Rafsanjani wing.
Hadi Ghaffari, one of the most prominent figures of the 1979 revolution, is now a member of the Combatant Clergy Association, and is now on permanent strike against saying anything of note.
Ali Khatami, unlike his outspoken brother Mohammad Reza, isn’t one for speaking out. Here he’s more interested in his mobile, and doesn’t pay much heed to such political soirees.
Former foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki has finally made a public appearance. He has been sulking since his disqualification during the recent presidential election,
The 2005 reformist presidential election candidate Mostafa Moein has been catapulted from center to periphery.
Ali Akbar Mohtashamipour, Godfather of Hizbollah and a prominent reformist, has pulled away from establishment politics, and papers have reported the prospect of his emigration to Iraq.
The presence of cultural figures like actor Reza Kianian gave the wake a slightly less political air.
Nine officials from the Rouhani Administration attended, but the most influential of them is chief of staff Nahavandian.
Moussavi Khoeniha sits to the left of Abdollah Nouri, both of whom are considered the brain trust of the reformists. The former seems immobilised by choice, the latter by force.
Minister of Health Hassan Hashemi is in no way a reformist, but queuing up to kiss reformist Mohammad Khatami will certainly anger the hardliners.
Ayatollah Khomeini’s grandson chats with two former foreign ministers, Kharrazi and Salehi.
Iranian football legend Ali Daei is also in attendance. His remarks a couple days ago about the end of the era of lies shows that he also was aggrieved by the Ahmadinejad years
Like most reformist wakes, some pragmatist conservatives, such as Asadollah Asgarolladi, the famous big-time bazaar merchant, are in attendance.
comments