TEHRAN – On Wednesday a large number of people attended a funeral procession for Ayatollah Seyyed Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, chief of the Expediency Council Chairman, who died late on Monday at the age of 70 after months of battling illness. 

People and state officials attended the funeral to pay their last respect to the soft-spoken cleric.

The mourning ceremony began on Wednesday morning at Imam Khomeini Grand Prayer Grounds (Mosalla), where Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei performed the funeral prayer, Press TV reported.

The heads of the three branches of government, namely President Hassan Rouhani, Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani and Judiciary Chief Sadeq Amoli Larijani, were all present.

Cabinet ministers, lawmakers, military officials as well as members of the Expediency Council and the Assembly of Experts attended the funeral procession.

After the ceremony, the body of Ayatollah Shahroudi was transferred to the city of Qom, where he was laid to rest at Hazrat Masoumeh’s shrine.

Wednesday was declared a national day of mourning in honor of the ayatollah.

During his lifetime, Ayatollah Shahroudi served in many crucial positions in the Islamic Republic. He was born in 1948 in the Iraqi city of Najaf, which has hosted many Muslim scholars.

In Iraq, he attended classes held by the late founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeini.

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. 

The Expediency Council is mainly responsible for arbitration between the parliament and the Guardian Council, which itself supervises the parliament.

Ayatollah Shahroudi also served as the head of 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 served in the capacity of the vice president of the Assembly of Experts, a clerical body tasked to elect and oversee the performance of Leader of the Islamic Revolution.

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