Israel says it killed Larijani on Monday night
by Tim ListerCNN
Ali Larijani, 67, head of Iran’s National Security Council, has emerged as one of Iran’s most important figures in recent months.
He was first seen as a significant leader in the suppression of popular protests in January and later as part of the transition that followed the death of former supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
Larijani, 67, had a long connection with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and became a visible emblem of the regime — even participating in a public rally last week in Tehran, despite being a priority target for Israel.
Larijani deftly navigated the politics of the Islamic Republic, serving in a variety of roles. He was a commander in the IRGC during the war with Iraq in the 1980s, before transitioning to political positions.
He served as head of state broadcasting, Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator, and speaker of the Iranian parliament (for 12 years, until 2020) — and was increasingly trusted by Khamenei on security issues after his appointment as an adviser in 2004.
After last year’s conflict with Israel, he returned to prominence as head of the National Security Council, considered by many analysts to be Iran’s main decision-maker.
Larijani comes from an influential clerical family in the Islamic Republic. One of his brothers, Sadegh, is an ayatollah and former head of Iran’s judiciary.
He was also an established academic. Originally trained in mathematics and computer science at Sharif University of Technology, he holds a PhD in philosophy from the University of Tehran and has written extensively on the work of German philosopher Immanuel Kant.
Analysts say that although Larijani was seen as a pragmatist rather than a hard-line ideologue, he was committed to the survival of the Islamic Republic as the nezam — or system of government — of Iran.
According to analysts, Larijani frequently provoked US President Donald Trump since the beginning of the conflict and was fundamental in designing Iran’s war strategy.
“Unlike the United States, (Iran) prepared for a long war,” Larijani published in X shortly after the start of the conflict.
