The cause of death of Iran's former President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani is once again stirring controversy after his son Yasser announced that President Hassan Rouhani rejected a report by the Supreme National Security Council of the Islamic Republic (SNSCI) concerning the details of Rafsanjani’s death.
SNSCI sent a letter to Rouhani demanding to shelve the case, however the president rejected the demand, ordering the council to re-investigate the whole case.
In an interview with Pana news agency on Monday, Yasser Rafsanjani revealed that his brother Mohsen was supposed to have the permission to study the report compiled on his father’s death and will soon head to the SNSCI to be briefed about the investigation.
In this regard, Rafsanjani's brother, Mohammad, repeated earlier statements about concerns regarding his brother's death due to a heart attack.
"Since the cause of the heart attack was not mentioned, there are doubts. This is the reason behind some speculation," Hashemi said in an interview with ISNA.
Hashemi pointed that there are bruises on the chest area of his brother as a result of doctors' attempts to resuscitate him.
In her interview with Etemed reformist newspaper, Hashemi's daughter, Faezeh, said that her family had been informed about the issue of radioactivity during a meeting with several members of SNSCI. She did not mention when the meeting was held and who were the officials who attended it.
Hashemi was found dead on January 7, 2017 in a pool in his house that he frequently used after having a sudden heart attack. He was buried in north Tehran next to Khomeini.
The same month, Faezeh Hashemi denied news reports about asking for autopsy, describing them as "rumors".
