IRNA � Iran will observe three days of public mourning to mark death of Chairman of the Expediency Council Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Iran's Cabinet reported on Sunday.

Ayatollah Rafsanjani died on Sunday at the age of 82 in a Tehran hospital due to a cardiac arrest caused by heart attack.

Rafsanjani, a veteran Iranian cleric, a pillar of the Islamic Revolution and a leading politician, served in different positions in the post-1979 Islamic Revolution era.

The Cabinet also announced Tuesday as a public holiday because the funeral procession for the late ayatollah is to be held on Tuesday.