Who is Ali Larijani, head of Iran’s Security Council, who Israel says was killed in bombing

Ali Larijani REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani Israel said it had killed Ali Larijani, head of Iran’s Supreme Security Council and one of the most important men in the Iranian regime. According to the Israeli newspaper “Times of Israel”, Larijani was the target of a bombing attack carried out by Israel against Tehran, on Monday night (16). The information has not yet been officially confirmed by Iranian authorities. ✅ Follow the g1 international news channel on WhatsApp Ali Larijani is one of the most influential names in Iranian politics, he built a career as a politician and intellectual, with a degree in philosophy. He took over the Supreme National Security Council in 2025, coordinating defense strategies and nuclear policy, being considered the main negotiator. Larijani began his public career in the 1980s, when he joined the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, a central force of the Iranian regime. Over the following decades, he accumulated relevant roles, such as Minister of Culture and director of the state broadcaster IRIB. He also played a prominent role in the Iranian Legislature. Between 2008 and 2020, he presided over the country’s Parliament, consolidating himself as a major figure in the political system. In 2007, he left his post as nuclear negotiator after differences with then-president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Despite this, he remained influential in strategic discussions about the Iranian nuclear program. In recent years, Larijani has come to be seen as a pragmatic conservative, open to international negotiations. He gained even more prominence after changes at the top of Iranian power, especially with the death of supreme leader Ali Khamenei, according to recent reports. As head of the Security Council, he oversaw sensitive issues such as nuclear policy and the response to external attacks. Larijani’s name had also been mentioned as a possible interlocutor in negotiations with the West. Amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, he would have been a direct target of Israeli military actions. If his death is confirmed, the loss could have a significant impact on Iran’s political and strategic conduct. “The commander of the General Staff has just informed me that Ali Larijani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, and Gholamreza Soleimani, head of the Basij, Iran’s main repressive apparatus, were eliminated overnight,” Katz said in a video message. The minister added that Israel will continue to “hunt” the leadership of the Iranian regime. Iran did not confirm Larijani’s death or publicly comment on the bombing until the last update of this report. Iranian state agencies shared at around 6:30 am Brasília time a handwritten message attributed to Larijani that does not mention the bombing. The text, in which Larijani pays tribute to Iranian Navy soldiers killed in the war against the USA and Israel, is dated this Tuesday, but it is not known exactly when it was written. See the videos that are trending on g1 The Chief of Staff of the Israeli Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, spoke of “significant achievements” in night bombings that have the potential to influence the course of the war against Iran. “The Israel Defense Forces [modo como Israel chama seu Exército] continue to act with determination against multiple targets in Iran. Significant preventive achievements were recorded overnight, with the potential to influence operational results and IDF missions,” Zamir said in a statement this morning. most powerful of the Iranian regime and has accumulated even more power recently amid the war that Iran has been waging with the United States and Israel in recent weeks and also after the assassination of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and several high-ranking Iranian officials on February 28. Iranian state agencies shared a message from Larijani during the early hours of this Tuesday, in Brasilia, which may have been issued before the bombing. next and criticized US President Donald Trump for accusing Iran of using AI to generate media from recent pro-government protests.

Source link