Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei vowed retaliation after senior official Ali Larijani was killed in a strike by the US-Israel. Larijani, a former parliament speaker and key security figure, had played a major role in Iran’s nuclear policy. The development has heightened fears of a wider conflict in the region.
Iran’s newly appointed Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei on Wednesday vowed retaliation after the killing of security chief Ali Larijani in a strike blamed on the United States and Israel.
Mojtaba described Larijani as a “learned, far-sighted, intelligent” individual with diverse experiences in many fields. He said that the assassination of such an individual showed how important he was and the “hatred of the enemies of Islam towards him.”
Who Was Ali Larijani?
Larijani was a veteran politician and long-time confidant of Ali Khamenei, had reasserted his influence amid the war-driven crisis. A former speaker of Iran’s parliament, he served as Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), the body responsible for shaping the country’s defence and nuclear policies.
Belonging to one of Iran’s most powerful clerical families, Larijani had handled key portfolios over the years, including nuclear negotiations with Washington and managing strategic ties with Russia and China. According to Reuters, he travelled to Oman last month to lay the groundwork for indirect nuclear talks with the United States, even as American military deployments in the region were being expanded.
Larijani had previously described Iran’s nuclear dispute with the West as “resolvable,” insisting that concerns over nuclear weapons could be addressed. He has consistently maintained that Iran’s nuclear programme is meant for peaceful purposes, defending Tehran’s right to enrich uranium and criticising Western demands to limit it.
The United States, however, sanctioned Larijani in January, accusing him of playing a role in directing violent crackdowns on anti-government protests. Human rights groups claim thousands were killed during the unrest.