TEHRAN - Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has expressed sorrow over the death of Ayatollah Hashemi Shahroudi, chairman of the Expediency Council.

“I received, with sorrow and grief, the news of the passing away of the great faqih, the chairman of the Expediency Discernment Council, Ayatollah Haj Sayyed Mahmoud Hashemi-Shahroudi (May God grant him paradise). This heartbreaking loss, after about a year of fighting with a hard and painful disease, distressed all those who understand his status in wisdom and knowledge, and his valuable services to the Islamic establishment and to the seminaries’ fiqh, principle, and law bodies,” he wrote in his message published on the khamenei.ir website.

He added, “He was a great scholar in the seminary of Qom and a loyal official with the most important organizations of the Islamic Republic, an influential member of the Guardian Council, and a successful leader in the Expediency Discernment Council, and he left important scholarly works and blessings.”

“On the passing of this prominent scholar, I would like to express condolences to his honored family, his respectable wife and children and his relatives, as well as the Qom Seminary and his pupils, colleagues and enthusiasts. I ask Allah the Exalted to bestow divine forgiveness and blessings on him and elevate his ranks [in the Heavens] to the highest,” the Leader said.

Ayatollah Shahroudi passed away at a hospital in Tehran after his health deteriorated due to a chronic disease.

Other figures including President Hassan Rouhani, Seyyed Hassan Khomeini, Ammar al-Hakim, leader of the Iraqi National Wisdom Movement and Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi offered condolences over his death.

Ayatollah Shahroudi served in many crucial positions in the Islamic Republic. He was born in 1948 in the Iraqi city of Najaf.

Ayatollah Shahroudi attended classes held by the late founder of the Islamic Republic Imam Khomeini in Iraq.

He fought against the dictatorial rule of Iraq’s Saddam Hussein and was jailed and tortured by his Baathist forces.

Ayatollah Shahroudi traveled to Iran in the wake of the Islamic Revolution to serve as an intermediary between Imam Khomeini and Iraqi scholars and leaders.

He took the helm of the Expediency Council in 2017 to succeed the late Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani. 

Ayatollah Shahroudi also served as the head of Iran’s Judiciary for 10 years. His attempts for speeding up due processes and establishing close contact with ordinary people were among the achievements he was credited for.

He also was a member and vice president of the Assembly of Experts.

He had been a member of the Guardian Council for years as well.

NA/PA