TEHRAN, Nov. 25 (MNA) Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said the appointment of Ali Akbar Velayati as the director of the Strategic Research Center of the Expediency Council made after consultation with the Supreme Leader.The post was held by Hassan Rouhani until he was elected president.
Rafsanjani, who is the chairman of the Expediency Council, said that in his view, the selection of Velayati was a very good choice.
Velayati was Irans foreign minister for 16 years. He served as chief diplomat when the Supreme Leader was president for eight years and another eight years under Rafsanjani.
Rafsanjani said he has known Velayati since the time when the former foreign minister was a lawmaker representing Tehran in the early 1980s.
The Expediency Council chief said he became aware of Velayatis capabilities when he was engaged in tough negotiations on UN Resolution 598, which brought an end to eight years of war between Iran and Iraq in 1988.
Rafsanjani also said if the Supreme Leader did not express support for the Iranian nuclear team negotiating with the major powers (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany), they would have felt hesitant.
By Mehr News Agency
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