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Veteran Iranian person Ali Larijani was 1 of the astir almighty figures successful the Islamic Republic, an designer of its information policy, and a adjacent advisor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei until the ultimate leader’s decease successful an airstrike past month.
Larijani, 67, was killed by a U.S.-Israeli aerial attack arsenic helium was visiting his girl successful the eastbound outskirts of a Tehran suburb, Iran’s semi-official Fars news bureau said connected Tuesday (March 17, 2026).
Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said earlier connected Tuesday that helium had been killed successful an Israeli strike.
The scion of a starring clerical household with brothers who roseate to precocious positions aft the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Larijani was seen arsenic canny and pragmatic but ever fiercely determined to uphold Iran’s theocratic strategy of government.
A Revolutionary Guard Corps commandant during the Iran-Iraq warfare in the 1980s, helium became caput of Iran’s nationalist broadcaster earlier stints moving the Supreme National Security Council either broadside of his rank of parliament, wherever helium was talker for 12 years.
His relation arsenic the eventual insider successful Ali Khamenei’s Iran gave him responsibilities crossed a wide portfolio that included captious atomic negotiations with the West, managing Tehran’s determination ties and the suppression of interior unrest.
Cautionary approach
Despite his unswerving committedness to Khamenei’s implicit rule, helium advocated a much cautionary attack than did different hardline figures, sometimes consenting to further Iran’s goals done diplomacy and to conscionable home absorption with soothing words.
Iran-Israel warfare LIVE updates - March 18, 2026
But contempt his comparative moderation, helium played an allegedly cardinal relation successful the bloody crushing of wide protests successful January. The convulsive repression, which killed thousands of protesters, led Washington to enforce sanctions connected him past month.
After the U.S.-Israeli strikes began connected February 28, helium was 1 of the archetypal large Iranian figures to speak, accusing Iran’s attackers of seeking to disintegrate and plunder the country. He besides issued stern warnings against immoderate would-be protesters.
The strikes represented the eventual nonaccomplishment of a atomic argumentation helium had helped design, which attempted to physique atomic capableness astatine the bound of planetary rules without provoking an attack.
In pursuing that policy, helium projected the dependable of the ultimate leader, utilizing his abilities arsenic a communicator to physique a rapport with Western negotiators and laic retired Khamenei’s imaginativeness successful predominant tv interviews.
Even had helium survived the existent war, that relation whitethorn person been curtailed. In the jostling for power aft Khamenei’s death, it was the Guards who took an ever greater part, leaving less decisions to governmental powerbrokers similar Larijani.
Rise aft the Revolution
Ali Larijani was calved successful 1958 successful Iraq’s large Shi’ite Muslim shrine metropolis of Najaf, the location of galore large Iranian clerics similar his begetter who had fled what they saw arsenic the oppressive regularisation of the shah.
He moved to Iran arsenic a child, aboriginal focusing connected his studies and earning a doctrine PhD. But the clerical milieu of his household would person made him keenly alert of the revolutionary spiritual currents surging done his homeland successful the 1970s.
When Larijani was 20 years old, the Islamic Revolution overthrew the shah and installed Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini arsenic ultimate leader.
When Iraq invaded Iran on a 500-mile (800 km) beforehand months aft the revolution, Larijani joined the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a new, ideologically driven, subject portion devoted to Khomeini.
As the warfare with Saddam Hussein’s Iraq became the large crucible investigating the mettle of a caller procreation of Iranian leaders, Larijani roseate up to go a unit officer, a commandant focused connected the organisational duties down the beforehand that dictated the warfare effort.
His occurrence successful that role, alongside his household connections, helped spur his emergence successful the caller Islamic Republic. They besides ensured his adjacent ties to the Guards, a subject instauration whose value would proceed increasing passim his life.
Various positions
After the war, Larijani became civilization curate and past caput of Iran’s authorities broadcaster, IRIB, a captious relation successful a state wherever ideological messaging has ever been cardinal to the workout of interior power.
Larijani was appointed to the furniture by the mercurial president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, successful bureau from 1989 to 1997. Khamenei, meanwhile, became ultimate person successful 1989, upon the decease of Khomeini.
Larijani would person a ringside spot for the years-long powerfulness conflict betwixt Rafsanjani and Khamenei — an unrivalled acquisition successful precocious Iranian politics.
His clip astatine IRIB was followed by a stint arsenic caput of the Supreme National Security Council, Iran’s apical overseas and information argumentation body. A failed statesmanlike bid followed, successful 2005, earlier his predetermination to parliament 2 years later.
Two of his brothers were enjoying precocious office, excessively - the signs of a household on the make.
His eldest brother, Mohammad-Javad, was a subordinate of parliament earlier becoming a elder advisor to Khamenei. A younger brother, Sadiq, had go a cleric and risen to caput the judiciary.
Chief atomic negotiator
As main atomic negotiator from 2005 to 2007, Larijani was liable for defending what Tehran says is its close to enrich uranium — a process required to marque substance for a atomic powerfulness works but which tin besides output worldly for a warhead.
Pressure connected Iran implicit its atomic programme had ratcheted up aft the find successful 2003 that the state had enrichment facilities it had not disclosed to planetary inspectors, prompting fears it was seeking a weaponry and starring to sanctions.
It has ever denied wanting a bomb.
Larijani likened European incentives to wantonness atomic substance accumulation to “exchanging a pearl for a candy bar”. Though helium was wide regarded arsenic a pragmatist, helium said that Iran’s atomic programme “can ne'er beryllium destroyed”.
“Because erstwhile you person discovered a technology, they can’t instrumentality the find away,” helium told PBS’s Frontline programme successful September 2025. “It’s arsenic if you are the inventor of immoderate machine, and the instrumentality is stolen from you. You tin inactive marque it again.”
Larijani made repeated visits to Moscow and met President Vladimir Putin, helping Khamenei negociate a cardinal state and satellite powerfulness that acted arsenic a counterweight to unit from the archetypal and 2nd administrations of U.S. President Donald Trump.
He was besides tasked with advancing negotiations with China, which led to a 25-year practice statement successful 2021.
As parliament talker from 2008 to 2020 helium had a relation successful ensuring that a atomic woody with six satellite powers successful 2015 would conscionable the requirements of sceptical Iranian hardliners. Trump withdrew the U.S. from the hard-negotiated statement during his archetypal term, successful 2018.
Role successful crushing protests
Larijani was again appointed caput of the Supreme National Security Council past year, aft a 12-day aerial warfare launched by Israel.
He was moving to avert an onslaught connected Iran until soon earlier the warfare began.
“In my view, this contented is resolvable,” Larijani told Oman authorities tv aboriginal this year, referring to the talks with the U.S. “If the Americans’ interest is that Iran should not determination toward acquiring a atomic weapon, that tin beryllium addressed.”
But Washington besides denounced him for the council’s relation successful crushing wide protests successful January, adjacent aft helium and different elder politicians had initially said that demonstrations over the system were permissible.
According to a U.S. authorities announcement detailing sanctions against him and different officials successful effect to the crackdown, Larijani was astatine the forefront of the repression.
“Larijani was 1 of the archetypal Iranian leaders to telephone for unit successful effect to the morganatic demands of the Iranian people,” a U.S. Treasury connection said connected January 15, saying helium had acted astatine Khamenei’s behest.
Rights groups accidental thousands of radical were killed successful a crackdown, the worst home unrest successful Iran since the Islamic Revolution.
One of Larijani’s daughters, meanwhile, was dismissed from a aesculapian teaching presumption astatine Emory University, successful the U.S., pursuing protests by Iranian-American activists angered by his relation suppressing the demonstrations.
