One of Iran's most influential political leaders, former President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, is looking to return to the helm of the country he once lead from 1989 to 1997. If elected on June 17, 2005, his tenure would come at a crucial juncture in U.S./European-Iranian relations.

Rafsanjani has been a vocal critic of the United States' war against Iraq and has led Friday prayer meetings denouncing the invasion and Western intervention in the Middle East. In one sermon he said, "Anyone who stretches out their hands towards Iran will have those hands cut off."

Rafsanjani said in a Feb. 6, 2005 USA Today article, "I have no idea what the U.S. intends to do further there and what would be the reaction of the Iraqi people. I only know that the sole option is to leave Iraq to the Iraqi people."

Iran also faces probing questions about its nuclear program, which Rafsanjani has said in the past is a right under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The United States accuses Iran of pursuing a covert nuclear weapons program, but Tehran insists its nuclear program is solely for civilian energy purposes. In a June 6, 2005 Time magazine interview Rafsanjani said, "No, we're not willing to suspend. But we're ready to provide greater assurances to the world that we won't move from peaceful nuclear technology to military technology."

Both issues are major obstacles in the relationship between the United States and Iran, but Rafsanjani also faces uncertainty domestically. During the current presidency of moderate Mohammed Khatami, Rafsanjani has leaned toward more conservative policies.

During his own presidency, Rafsanjani was in favor of establishing economic relations with the Western world and was a proponent of women's rights. But when asked by a New York Times reporter on May 25, 2005 about women in Iran wearing headscarves, Rafsanjani was vague, saying, "We are Muslims and we enforce the Islamic law, which is also in our constitution."

His conservatism was a drawback for some young voters leading up to the 2005 election -- the majority of eligible voters are under 30 years old.

Sara Mohseni, 15, told U.K.'s Independent newspaper, "We have to choose between bad and worse and going back eight years to Rafsanjani is definitely worse. I want to go forward."

Students booed the chancellor from Tehran's Open University for promoting the former two-time president at an election rally.

To combat the image of an old, out-of-touch politician, Rafsanjani created a TV segment that showed him in a panel discussion with young people.

He cracked a joke about nudity, saying people should follow their taste in clothes, according to reports. "In the Islam I know ... no one would feel limited in their instincts," said Rafsanjani, a supporter of the Shiite practice of temporary marriage, according to the Christian Science Monitor.

Known as a "smiling powerbroker" and "shrewd politician," Rafsanjani has been an integral figure in pre- and post-revolutionary Iran.

In the 1960s and '70s, Rafsanjani was one of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's most trusted advisers during the revolution. He was responsible for many negotiations between dissident groups. When Khamenei was thrown into exile, Rafsanjani was the lead figure in the resistance.

Rafsanjani, the second of nine children, was born in 1934 to a wealthy pistachio-growing family in the town of Rafsanjan, which later became the family's surname. At a young age, he moved to Qom to pursue Islamic studies. He became politically active by taking part in Iran's pursuit to nationalize the country's oil industry.

In 1979, he gained power after the revolution and co-founded the Islamic Republican Party, which had a key role in Iranian politics. In that same year, he was almost assassinated by a group opposing Khamenei's clerical leadership.

In 1980, Rafsanjani was elected as parliamentary speaker to the Majlis, the Islamic Consultative Assembly. He held the post for 10 years.

Rafsanjani was elected president in 1989 after the death of Khamenei with 95 percent of the vote.

How he might approach a third term is up for debate, but Rafsanjani has mentioned a hope to re-establish relations with the Western world.

Rafsanjani said, "We don't have any problems with the people and the country of the United States. Whenever there has been an opportunity of reasonable cooperation, we've seized it."

Currently, Rafsanjani serves as chairman of the Expediency Council, which arbitrates disputes between the Majlis, Iran's parliament, and the Guardian Council, which is the highest court in Iran. He is also deputy chairman of the Assembly of Experts, which appoints the supreme leader and reconfirms him periodically.

Rafsanjani has three sons Mohsen, Mehdi, and Yasser who was named after former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, and two daughters Fatemeh and Faezeh.

-- Compiled by Chris Han for the Online NewsHour