CAIRO, March 18 (Xinhua) — Iran on Tuesday confirmed that Ali Larijani, secretary of the country’s Supreme National Security Council, had been killed in an Israeli attack.
As Iran’s top security official, Larijani’s killing represents a major loss for Iran’s leadership and has sparked more intense retaliatory attacks from Tehran on Israeli and U.S. targets. Here is what you need to know about Larijani’s death:
WHO WAS LARIJANI?
Born in 1958, Larijani served as a senior official in Iran for several decades.
After Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, he joined the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) in the early 1980s, before transitioning to government, serving as Culture Minister between 1994 and 1997.
During the early stages of Iran’s nuclear crisis, Larijani, who once served as Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator, played a key role in the process that ultimately led to a nuclear agreement.
In 2008, Larijani ran for a seat in the Iranian parliament and was elected speaker, a position he held until 2020.
Larijani tried to run for president in 2021 and again in 2024, but on both occasions, the Constitutional Council disqualified him.
In 2025, following the 12-day war between Israel, the United States and Iran, President Masoud Pezeshkian appointed Larijani as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council.
HOW DID LARIJANI DIE?
Since Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in an Israeli strike in February, Larijani had played a key role in Iran’s national affairs, frequently issuing tough statements in response to U.S. and Israeli attacks.
On Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces said that it carried out precision airstrikes in Tehran, killing Gholamreza Soleimani, commander of Iran’s Basij volunteer force, and Larijani.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said later on Tuesday that Israel had killed Larijani, adding, “There are many more surprises.”
Late Tuesday night, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council confirmed that its secretary, Larijani, had been killed.
In a statement, the council said Larijani died early Tuesday alongside his son Morteza Larijani, deputy for security affairs at the council’s secretariat Alireza Bayat, and several others.
The council praised Larijani’s long service to Iran’s development and called for national unity in the face of external threats.
REACTIONS TO LARIJANI’S DEATH
Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei offered his condolences on Wednesday over the death of Larijani, while hinting at retaliation.
In a statement on social media, he condemned the “assassination,” stating that those responsible would inevitably “pay the price for their crimes.”
In an interview with Al Jazeera on Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said Israel’s killing of Larijani will not deal a fatal blow to Iran’s leadership.
“I do not know why the Americans and the Israelis still have not understood this point: The Islamic Republic of Iran has a strong political structure with established political, economic, and social institutions,” Araghchi said. “The presence or absence of a single individual does not affect this structure.”
Russia on Wednesday condemned the killing of Larijani. “We certainly condemn actions intended to harm health or, even more so, to kill representatives of the leadership of a sovereign and independent Iran, as well as other countries. We condemn such actions,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in a daily briefing.
Hamas on Wednesday also condemned the “treacherous” Israeli strike on Tehran that killed Larijani.
Praising Larijani’s support for the Palestinian cause, the group extended condolences to Iran’s leadership and people, calling the attack a “flagrant aggression” against Iran. ■
