Vice News: Iran Loses a Moderate

Rafsanjani’s death will be deeply felt by the country’s moderates, who saw him as “a much needed balance against conservative forces that would further intensify domestic repression and put Iran on a path towards confrontation with the West,” said Trita Parsi, head of the National Iranian American Council and author of the upcoming book Losing an Enemy: Obama, Iran, and the Triumph of Diplomacy. “He remained a critical player within the Iranian system, often using his influence to move Iran in a more moderate direction while mending fences with the West as well as with Iran’s Arab neighbors.”