Who is Ali Larijani, insider tasked with steering Iran if Khamenei is assassinated?

Larijani positioned for Iran crisis leadership

Tensions between Iran and the United States are deepening as President Donald Trump continues to warn of possible military action. With the prospect of US strikes hanging over Tehran, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, is said to be quietly preparing for the country’s survival in the event of war.

At the heart of those preparations is a familiar figure in Iran’s power structure; Ali Larijani.

A trusted insider at the centre of power

Ali Larijani, 67, currently serves as Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, the body that holds ultimate authority over key security and foreign policy decisions. A long-time adviser to Khamenei, he has emerged as one of the most influential figures in Tehran.

According to The New York Times, Larijani has effectively overseen the country’s political management since January, when Iran faced widespread anti-regime protests.

A founding member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, he has also headed Iran’s state broadcaster and served as Speaker of Parliament from 2008 to 2020. In 2021, he helped negotiate a 25-year strategic agreement with China.

In July 2025, Larijani travelled to Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, before making visits to Baghdad and Beirut for high-level regional discussions. Last August, Iran’s president formally appointed him to lead the Supreme National Security Council, placing him squarely at the centre of Tehran’s defence and regional strategy.

Dr Sanam Vakil, Director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House, told Newsweek at the time: “His selection signals a shift toward a more unifying, experienced regime insider capable of managing both domestic political tensions and sensitive regional diplomacy. Larijani’s track record as parliament speaker and nuclear negotiator suggests Tehran may seek a more calibrated security and foreign policy approach. His experience positions him to navigate complex regional dynamics while maintaining cohesion within Iran’s political structures.”

The New York Times has reported that Larijani’s influence now rivals — and in some areas surpasses — that of President Masoud Pezeshkian. He is also overseeing Tehran’s nuclear negotiations with Washington.

Earlier this year, amid a harsh crackdown on protests, US envoy Steve Witkoff attempted to contact Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, according to the newspaper. When Araghchi sought authorisation to respond, President Pezeshkian directed him to obtain approval from Larijani instead — a sign of where real authority increasingly lies.

Preparing for the unthinkable

Larijani’s growing prominence has prompted speculation about succession. While he is not the designated heir to Khamenei, he is firmly within the Supreme Leader’s inner circle.

The New York Times reports that Khamenei has instructed Larijani and other trusted political and military figures to ensure the survival of the Islamic Republic in the event of US strikes or assassination attempts targeting senior leadership.

Senior officials told the paper that a four-layer succession plan has been established for key military and governmental posts. If communication with the Supreme Leader were severed, a small group of confidants would assume decision-making authority.

Larijani’s name reportedly tops the list of those who would steer the country should Khamenei and other senior leaders be killed.

Vali Nasr of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies told The New York Times: “Khamenei is dealing with the reality in front of him.”

“He is expecting to be a martyr and thinking, this is my system and legacy, and I will stand until the end. He is distributing power and preparing the state for the next big thing, both succession and war, aware that succession may come as a consequence of war.”

If conflict erupts, special police units, intelligence forces and Basij militia battalions would reportedly be deployed across major cities to prevent unrest and counter foreign-linked operatives.

Diplomacy on a knife-edge

Even as contingency plans are drawn up, diplomacy has not entirely collapsed. A third round of nuclear talks is scheduled to take place in Geneva, Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi announced.

This comes as Washington has reinforced its military presence in the region. Trump has warned that “really bad things will happen” if no agreement is reached over Iran’s nuclear programme.

Larijani struck a defiant tone during a recent visit to Doha, telling Al Jazeera: “We are ready in our country. We are definitely more powerful than before. We have prepared in the past seven, eight months. We found our weaknesses and fixed them. We are not looking for war, and we won’t start the war. But if they force it on us, we will respond.”

As negotiations inch forward and military rhetoric intensifies, Iran appears to be bracing for both dialogue and confrontation — determined, above all, to endure.

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Larijani positioned for Iran crisis leadership

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Ali Larijani, Ali Khamenei, Iran, succession planning, Supreme Leader, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, nuclear talks, regime survival