Top Iranian cleric and conservative figure dies

By Syed Zafar Mehdi

TEHRAN (AA) - Top Iranian cleric Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi died on Friday evening in Tehran after a brief illness. He was 86.

Yazdi, who served as the spiritual patron of a powerful conservative political front in Iran, was hospitalized a few weeks ago for gastrointestinal illness, according to local media.

His death is seen as a big setback to the conservative political forces in Iran, who have made a strong comeback recently, especially after the clean sweep of the parliament earlier this year.

The octogenarian cleric was a close associate of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and was even touted to succeed him.

Yazdi, during his eventful career as a cleric and political theorist, served as a member of the Assembly of Experts, the powerful body tasked with appointing the supreme leader.

He was often referred to as the ‘most powerful cleric’ in Iran’s leading center for religious learning in the central city of Qom. He yielded considerable influence in the society of seminary teachers in Qom.

Yazdi also served as the chairman of the Supreme Council of World Ahlulbayt Assembly, Iran-backed organization for religious propagation that operates in different parts of the world.

In 2011, some of his followers founded a conservative political organization under the banner of Jebyeh Paydari (Stability Front of Islamic Revolution), which continues to be a powerful political force in the country.

Although he did not get directly involved in mainstream politics, Yazdi had strong political influence and was also criticized for some of his political stances.

In mid-2000, when Mahmoud Ahmedinejad ran for the presidency, Yazdi was one of his staunch supporters. Many believe that it was the late cleric’s backing that helped Ahmedinejad prevail over his main opponent Hashemi Rafsanjani in the 2005 election.

Many top political and religious figures have condoled his death, including President Hassan Rouhani, Speaker Baqer Qalibaf, former Speaker Ali Larijani and others.