Rafsanjani’s Family Talks About 'Lost Testament'

Rafsanjani (AFP Photo/Atta Kenare)
Rafsanjani (AFP Photo/Atta Kenare)
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Rafsanjani’s Family Talks About 'Lost Testament'

Rafsanjani (AFP Photo/Atta Kenare)
Rafsanjani (AFP Photo/Atta Kenare)

The family of late Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani agreed that there is a lost political testament left by the president who died last January 8 in Iran.

Rafsanjani’s daughter, Faezeh Hashemi, said that uncovering the reasons behind her father’s death could reveal the whereabouts of the lost testament.

The former president’s other daughter, Fatima, said that his family would not “accept the report of the National Security Council” concerning his death.

On January 8, Rafsanjani died at the age of 83 after a heart attack while swimming in his private pool, as announced by the Iranian government.

After his death, opposition reformist websites had published photos showing bruises on the face of Rafsanjani’s body.

Other websites also claimed that the former president was poisoned or drowned in the swimming pool.

The family’s request to uncover the fate of the testament came in separate interviews published by Iran’s reformist newspaper, Etemad, with Mohammed, the brother of Rafsanjani, Yasser Hashemi, his son and Faezeh and Fatima, his two daughters, in addition to the family’s lawyer.

The former president’s family insists that Rafsanjani had left a second testament, after he had published his first testament in the 1990’s.

His brother, Mohammad Hashemi said that Rafsanjani’s testament would “not be ordinary,” considering the role he played in the regime.

Yasser Hashemi said that the testament could not be found, adding that members of his family have no accurate information about its whereabouts.

Earlier, Faezeh had doubts about the possibility that her father was killed last January, rather than died from a heart attack.

Hours after Rafsanjani’s death, the Iranian authorities prevented any person from entering his office.

Fatima Hashemi said that her father wrote a new testament four years ago, adding that she had informed the National Security Council that some personal documents had disappeared from her father’s office after his death.



Ethiopia Reportedly Arrests Dozens of Suspected ISIS Militants

South Sudanese asylum seekers gather at informal settlements in Matar town, Gambella region, Ethiopia June 12, 2025. Michael Tewelde/WFP/Handout via REUTERS
South Sudanese asylum seekers gather at informal settlements in Matar town, Gambella region, Ethiopia June 12, 2025. Michael Tewelde/WFP/Handout via REUTERS
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Ethiopia Reportedly Arrests Dozens of Suspected ISIS Militants

South Sudanese asylum seekers gather at informal settlements in Matar town, Gambella region, Ethiopia June 12, 2025. Michael Tewelde/WFP/Handout via REUTERS
South Sudanese asylum seekers gather at informal settlements in Matar town, Gambella region, Ethiopia June 12, 2025. Michael Tewelde/WFP/Handout via REUTERS

Ethiopia has arrested dozens of suspected ISIS militants, who it claimed have been trained and deployed to carry out operations across the country, the state-affiliated Fana broadcaster reported.

The 82 suspects were part of ISIS's Somalia affiliate, which operates in the semi-autonomous Puntland region, according to a statement by the National Intelligence Security Services which was shared with Fana.

The ISIS faction in Somalia has become an increasingly important part of its parent organization's worldwide network in recent years.

"NISS has been closely monitoring the group's cross-border infiltration strategies and its efforts to establish sleeper cells in Ethiopia," Fana reported late on Tuesday.

With an estimated 700 to 1,500 fighters, ISIS's Somalia wing has grown in recent years thanks to an influx of foreign fighters and increasing revenues.

But it is still much smaller than al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab militant group, which controls large parts of southern and central Somalia.

The US military has carried out periodic airstrikes against the group for years and recently intensified the strikes since President Donald Trump took office.

Puntland government forces have captured large portions of territory from ISIS since announcing a major offensive against them in December.