In Khamenei’s absence, pragmatist Larijani emerges as power broker in Iran

Summary

• Veteran Iranian politician Ali Larijani emerged as a power broker after Ayatollah Khamenei's death, establishing a temporary leadership council and accusing the US/Israel of attacks.
• Larijani navigates nuclear diplomacy, stating the issue is "resolvable", yet directed a "deadly" crackdown on protests, earning US sanctions for violent actions.
• He asserts Iran's nuclear programme "can never be destroyed," maintaining influence despite being barred from recent presidential elections and facing other challenges.

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TEHRAN – Veteran Iranian politician Ali Larijani has emerged as a power broker in Iran following the death on Feb 28 of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
. He announced on March 1 that a temporary leadership council would now run Iran.

Mr Larijani has been managing a broad portfolio, from nuclear negotiations to Tehran’s regional ties to its violent suppression of internal unrest.

An establishment insider who hails from one of the country’s leading clerical families, Mr Larijani was overseeing Iran’s efforts
to reach a nuclear deal with the United States, just a month after Washington sanctioned him in January for allegedly directing a deadly crackdown on anti-government protests.

He accused the US and Israel on March 1 of trying to plunder and disintegrate Iran following a wave of attacks on Iran
that began on Feb 28. Iran’s Armed Forces Chief of Staff Abdolrahim Mousavi was also killed in the strikes.

Mr Larijani warned “secessionist groups” of a harsh response if they attempt any action.

Appointed in August as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), Mr Larijani has held senior jobs throughout a career marked by loyalty to Mr Khamenei and a reputation for pragmatic relations with the system’s often-rival factions.

His status as a trusted Khamenei strategist was underscored in February by a trip to mediator Oman to prepare for indirect nuclear talks with the US, as Washington built up its military forces in the Middle East to try to force concessions from Iran ahead of the strikes.

Mr Larijani has also made several trips to key ally Moscow in recent months to discuss a range of security ties, in a further sign of his return to high-level diplomacy.

Mr Larijani, who had an earlier stint heading the SNSC 20 years ago, resumed its leadership following the 12-day air war between Iran and Israel in 2025 that was joined by the US, returning formally to the heart of Iran’s security establishment.

Some of his public statements on the nuclear issue struck a pragmatic tone.

“In my view, this issue is resolvable,” he told Oman state television in February, referring to the talks with the US. “If the Americans’ concern is that Iran should not move toward acquiring a nuclear weapon, that can be addressed.”

But in the wake of January’s outpouring of anti-government anger, his security council role was denounced by Washington.

According to a US government announcement detailing sanctions against him and other officials in response to the crackdown, Mr Larijani was at the forefront of efforts to crush the series of demonstrations
that swept Iran in January.

“Larijani was one of the first Iranian leaders to call for violence in response to the legitimate demands of the Iranian people,” a US Treasury statement said on Jan 15, saying Mr Larijani had acted at Mr Khamenei’s behest.

Rights groups say thousands of people were killed in a crackdown on the protests, the worst domestic unrest in Iran since the era of its 1979 Islamic Revolution.

‘A pearl for a candy bar’

Like other Iranian officials, Mr Larijani expressed understanding for demonstrations staged in protest at economic hardship. But he condemned armed actions he alleged were fomented by Iran’s arch-enemy, Israel.

“Popular protests must be completely separated from these terrorist-similar groups,” state media reports published on Jan 10 quoted him as saying.

“The rioters are an urban quasi-terrorist group,” he was quoted as saying on Jan 26.

A former member of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Mr Larijani served as chief nuclear negotiator from 2005 to 2007, defending what Tehran says is its right to enrich uranium.

He once likened European incentives to abandon nuclear fuel production to “exchanging a pearl for a candy bar”.

Back then, Iranian analysts said he sought to persuade the West through diplomacy and was regarded as a pragmatist.

The US and Israel believe Iran aspires to build a nuclear weapon that could threaten Israel’s existence. Iran says its nuclear programme is purely peaceful.

Mr Larijani was Parliament speaker from 2008 to 2020. During that posting, Iran struck a nuclear deal with six world powers in 2015 after almost two years of delicate negotiations.

President Donald Trump withdrew the US from the hard-fought agreement during his first term in 2018.

Engaging with Putin

Mr Larijani has cautioned that Iran’s nuclear programme “can never be destroyed”.

“Because once you have discovered a technology, they can’t take the discovery away,” he told PBS Frontline in September 2025. “It’s as if you are the inventor of some machine, and the machine is stolen from you. You can still make it again.”

Mr Larijani has made repeated visits to Moscow and met President Vladimir Putin
, helping Mr Khamenei manage a key ally and world power that acts as a counterweight to pressure from Mr Trump.

Mr Larijani was also tasked with advancing negotiations with China, which led to a 25-year cooperation agreement in 2021.

He ran unsuccessfully for president in 2005. He later sought to contest the 2021 and 2024 presidential elections but was barred both times by the Guardian Council, which cited issues, including lifestyle standards and family ties abroad.

Born in Najaf, Iraq, in 1958 to a leading Iranian clerical family, Mr Larijani moved to Iran as a child and went on to earn a PhD in philosophy. Several of his brothers have also held senior establishment jobs including in the judiciary and foreign ministry.

One of Mr Larijani’s daughters was dismissed in January from a medical teaching position at the US Emory University following protests by Iranian-American activists angered by his role in the suppression of that month’s demonstrations. REUTERS