Mohammad Hashemi

Mohammad Hashemi is the younger brother of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and served as head of IRIB for fourteen years, the longest tenure of any IRIB director. Appointed in 1980, he oversaw the broadcasting monopoly through the Iran–Iraq War era and the post-war reconstruction period, expanding IRIB's reach from two television channels to a multi-channel network. Under his leadership IRIB served as the primary wartime propaganda organ, broadcasting footage from the front lines and promoting the war effort. He was replaced in 1994 when Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei appointed Ali Larijani to bring a harder editorial line. Mohammad Hashemi later ran unsuccessfully for president in 2005 and remained active in pragmatist political circles.