3 months ago
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On March 1, a time aft the U.S. and Israel started bombing Iran, U.S. President Donald Trump said successful an interrogation that the Iranian leaders wanted to resume negotiations. “I person agreed to talk,” helium said. A effect came swiftly from Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. “We volition not negociate with the Americans,” helium wrote successful a societal media post. “You person acceptable ablaze the hearts of the Iranian people,” helium said successful an interview, referring to the assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader. “We volition pain the hearts of our enemies.” In the days that followed, the U.S. and Israel stepped up their bombing run crossed the country. Iran retaliated by launching missiles astatine American bases successful the Persian Gulf, and Israel. “The martyrdom of Imam Khamenei volition nonstop a dense terms from you,” Mr. Larijani said connected March 4. On March 6, some President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran was not instantly seeking a ceasefire. Mr. Trump past demanded “an unconditional surrender” from Iran’s rulers.
As the warfare unfolds with determination implications, Mr. Larijani has emerged arsenic a defiant look and dependable of the Iranian state. The Security Council helium leads is 1 of the astir important institutions of the state, particularly during wartime. Founded successful 1989 nether the revised Constitution, the Council’s main work is to specify defence and nationalist information policies. The caput of the Security Council is astir the equivalent of the National Security Adviser of India.
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Mr. Larijani came of property during the tremulous years of pre-revolutionary Iran. His father, Grand Ayatollah Hashem Amoli, a renowned Shia cleric, fled to Iraq successful the 1930s to debar persecution nether the Shah. Ali Larijani was calved successful Najaf, the cardinal Iraqi metropolis which hosts the tomb of Imam Ali, successful 1958. The Larijanis moved backmost to Iran successful 1960. Ali Larijani studied successful a spiritual seminary successful Qom and got a bachelor of subject grade successful machine subject from Aryamehr University of Technology, Tehran. For his Master’s and Ph.D., helium switched to Western philosophy.
According to a illustration of Mr. Larijani connected the University of Tehran website, helium has published 3 books connected Immanuel Kant (all successful Farsi) — The Mathematical Method successful Kant’s Philosophy, Metaphysics and the Exact Sciences successful Kant’s Philosophy, and Intuition and Synthetic A Priori Judgments successful Kant’s Philosophy. He has besides written a publication connected Descartes’ Discourse connected the Method. He has additionally published connected Saul Kripke — the American philosopher of connection and modal logic — and David Lewis, the analytical metaphysician.
A subordinate of the elite
Like galore of his generation, who were inspired by the 1979 revolution, Mr. Larijani joined the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the paramilitary organisation founded by Ayatollah Khomeini soon aft the revolution. The IRGC grew into 1 of the astir formidable institutions of the Islamic Republic during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war. Many of the veterans of the warfare emerged arsenic aboriginal leaders of the country. During the medication of President Hashemi Rafsanjani (1989-97), Mr. Larijani was appointed arsenic Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance. In 1994, helium became the manager wide of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), an limb of the Office of the Supreme Leader. This relation brought him person to the person (rahbar), Ayatollah Khamenei. By the crook of the century, Mr. Larijani had go 1 of the cardinal figures of the elite of the Islamic Republic, with adjacent ties with the country’s blimpish establishment.
Mahomud Ahmadinejad, the blimpish who became President successful 2005, appointed Mr. Larijani arsenic the caput of the Security Council and main atomic negotiator. As a atomic negotiator, helium had sent mixed signals. He erstwhile likened European incentives to wantonness Iran’s atomic programme to “exchanging a pearl for a candy bar”. But the aforesaid Mr. Larijani discontinue the Security Council successful 2007 amid disagreements with Mr. Ahmadinejad, whose hardline policies had deepened Iran’s isolation successful the world. It was a uncommon nationalist rupture successful the blimpish camp.
After falling retired with Mr. Ahmadinejad, Mr. Larijani moved to parliamentary politics. In 2008, helium got elected to the Majles and became Speaker, a presumption helium would clasp till 2020. So erstwhile Hassan Rouhani pursued atomic talks with the U.S. and signed a woody successful 2015 with satellite powers, Mr. Larijani, arsenic speaker, provided the much-needed legislative enactment for Mr. Rouhani. When the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the atomic deal, was enactment to statement successful the Majles, Mr. Larijani gave conscionable 20 minutes to sermon it for Parliament’s 290 members, earlier pushing it through.
In home politics, helium has been associated with the principalist (hardline) camp. He was supported by the Islamic Society of Engineers, a principalist governmental organisation. In 2005, erstwhile helium stood for the statesmanlike elections for the archetypal time, his bid was supported by the Council for Coordination of the Forces of the Revolution, an umbrella radical of blimpish organisations. He ranked sixth, winning lone 5.94% of votes, but became the Security Council Secretary. In 2021 and 2024, helium registered for the statesmanlike election, but his information was rejected by the almighty Guardian Council. But Masoud Pezeshkian, who won the 2024 statesmanlike election, brought Mr. Larijani backmost arsenic the Security Council chief.
Security czar
For years, Iran had built a sprawling web of allies successful West Asia, some arsenic a deterrent and arsenic an violative strategy. Iranians called it the “forward defence” doctrine. The champion of guardant defence was Qassem Soleimani, the Quds Force wide who was assassinated by the U.S. successful January 2020. When General Soleimani was killed, Mr. Larijani warned that the sidesplitting would change the governmental equilibrium of the portion and that the U.S. “will beryllium held accountable” for this “brutal act”.
“The effect to Haj Qassem Soleimani’s humor should beryllium measures to marque American forces fly from the region,” helium said, according to Tehran Times. But the Iranian effect was a token onslaught astatine a U.S. subject basal successful Iraq. U.S. troops continued to enactment successful the region.
In April 2025, amid rising tensions betwixt Israel and Iran, Mr. Larijani said if attacked, Iran would person “no choice” but to get atomic weapons. “We are not moving towards atomic weapons, but if you bash thing incorrect successful the Iranian atomic issue, you volition unit Iran to determination towards that due to the fact that it has to support itself,” helium said. In 2 months, Israel started bombing Iran, triggering the 12-day war. The U.S. joined Israel connected June 22 successful bombing Iran’s atomic facilities. In the months that followed the June war, Mr. Larijani, arsenic a confidant of the Supreme Leader, emerged arsenic the go-to antheral successful the system. While President Pezeshkian’s relation was constricted to moving the day-to-day matters of the country, Mr. Larijani became the information czar.
He endorsed the atomic talks that opened successful January pursuing protests successful Iran. The U.S. and Iran held 3 rounds of talks. On February 27, Oman’s Foreign Minister, who was mediating the talks, said a woody was wrong reach. Within hours the U.S. and Israel launched the war, sidesplitting Khamenei and respective different apical leaders. Amid warfare and a governmental vacuum, a furious Iran responded with its drones and ballistic missiles. “The brave soldiers and the large federation of Iran volition present an unforgettable acquisition to the hellish planetary oppressors,” Mr. Larijani said successful the mediate of the war. Eight days into the war, Iran has been deed hard by the U.S. and Israel. Tehran has besides retaliated by escalating its attacks. Donald Trump has demanded an unconditional surrender. But the IRGC, the revolutionary organisation wherever Mr. Larijani chopped his teeth, has warned of a “prolonged war”.
