TEHRAN - Chairman of Iran’s Expediency Council Ayatollah Seyyed Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi died at the age of 70 late on Monday.

The top cleric passed away at a hospital in Tehran after his health deteriorated due to a chronic disease.

Ayatollah Shahroudi had not attended the Expediency Council's sessions since mid-summer due to health problems. The senior cleric was appointed as head of the council in 2017, replacing the late Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.

Ayatollah Sharoudi served as Judiciary from 1999 until 2009.
He was also a member of the Guardian Council, an oversight election body.

The ayatollah also represented Khorassan Razavi province at the Assembly of Experts, which is constitutionally tasked with electing and monitoring Leader of the Islamic Revolution.

EM/