As tensions between the United States, Israel and Iran intensify, Ali Larijani has emerged as one of the most powerful figures in Tehran. In early January, amid nationwide protests and fears of possible US strikes, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei turned to Larijani, a longtime loyalist, to help steer the country through what insiders describe as an acute military and security crisis.
Since then, Larijani, 67, has effectively been running many of the country’s critical affairs. A veteran politician and former commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), he currently serves as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC). His growing authority has sidelined President Masoud Pezeshkian, who has publicly downplayed his own political role, saying, “I’m a doctor, not a politician.”
According to senior Iranian officials cited in reports, Larijani’s responsibilities have expanded rapidly. He oversaw the crackdown on recent protests demanding the end of Islamic rule, managed nuclear negotiations with Washington, and coordinated with key regional players such as Qatar and Oman, as well as major allies including Russia. He also traveled to Moscow to meet President Vladimir Putin for security discussions.
Larijani has additionally been tasked with planning for a potential war with the United States, as Washington amasses forces in the region. “We are ready in our country,” he said in an interview with Al Jazeera during a visit to Doha. “We are not looking for war, and we won’t start the war. But if they force it on us, we will respond.”
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Who Is Ali Larijani?
Ali Ardashir Larijani comes from an elite political and religious family and has long been a heavyweight in Iran’s power structure. He was one of the original members of the IRGC, later served as Iran’s principal nuclear negotiator, and chaired the state broadcast network IRIB. For 12 years, he was speaker of Parliament and in 2021 was appointed to negotiate a 25-year comprehensive strategic agreement with China worth billions of dollars.
Following lessons from Israel’s surprise attack last June that disrupted Iran’s military command chain, Ayatollah Khamenei reportedly reshuffled leadership structures. Larijani was appointed SNSC secretary, and contingency plans were drawn up to ensure the Islamic Republic’s survival in the event of war or even assassination attempts targeting top leaders.
While Ayatollah Khamenei has named potential successors in private, Larijani is unlikely to formally replace him because he is not a senior Shiite cleric — a key qualification for the role of supreme leader. However, he remains firmly within Khamenei’s trusted inner circle and is widely viewed as a central power broker who could manage the country during any transition or wartime emergency.
