SAEDNEWS: In a candid journal entry from 1997, the late Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani recalled a surprising moment when his wife watched Western satellite broadcasts—an unusual glimpse into the private lives of Iran’s political elite during an era of strict media control.
According to Saed News, a personal diary entry by the late Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has resurfaced, shedding unexpected light on domestic life within Iran’s political leadership. The entry, dated Monday, August 31, 1997, and recently republished by Sazandegi newspaper, recounts Rafsanjani’s reflections on both public events and an intimate anecdote involving his wife, Effat Marashi.
In the diary, Rafsanjani details a visit to the Kooshk building where he began working after leaving the presidency. Following a quiet day of reading books and political bulletins, he attended a cultural tribute at the Islamic Development Organization’s Arts Center, where he was honored for his infrastructural achievements. The event featured traditional music, choral performances by men and women in uniform, and screenings of documentaries celebrating his years of “reconstruction.”
Later that evening, upon returning home, Rafsanjani noted that his wife had been visiting relatives. There, she had watched Western satellite coverage of Princess Diana’s funeral, remarking on the emotional and media-driven spectacle surrounding the death of the British royal, who had died in a car crash just days earlier. Marashi observed the contradictions in Diana’s treatment: despite her separation from Prince Charles and her relationship with Egyptian businessman Dodi Fayed, she remained firmly embedded within the privileges of the British royal family.
The revelation offers a rare, humanizing portrait of Rafsanjani’s household and reflects the undercurrents of global curiosity—even among Iran’s most senior figures—about Western culture during a time when satellite television was officially banned but quietly consumed behind closed doors.
