Iran Downplays Impact of Larijani’s Killing on Leadership Stability

TEHRAN, Iran — Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated Wednesday that the assassination of Ali Larijani, the powerful secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, would not destabilize the country’s leadership or the system that the United States and Israel seek to dismantle.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, aired after Tehran confirmed Larijani’s death, Araghchi asserted that Washington and Jerusalem have failed to realize that the Iranian government does not rely on any single individual. The Foreign Minister pointed to the assassination of the country’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei—who was killed on Feb. 28 during the initial wave of U.S.-Israeli strikes—noting that despite the immense national loss, "the system continued."

“We have not had anyone more important than the leader himself, and even the leader was martyred, yet the system continued its work and immediately provided a replacement,” Araghchi said.

Larijani, 67, was a key confidant of the late Ali Khamenei and his son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei. His death on Monday night marks the loss of the second most senior figure in the Iranian leadership since the conflict intensified 19 days ago.

Born in Najaf, Iraq, in 1957, Larijani hailed from a prominent Shia clerical family with deep ties to the Islamic Republic’s founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. His family has remained a pillar of the Iranian political establishment for decades. A veteran of the 1880-1888 Iran-Iraq War, Larijani was last seen this past Friday publicly participating in Al-Quds Day rallies in support of the Palestinian cause and in defiance of U.S.-Israeli military actions.

During his extensive career, Larijani held several high-ranking positions, including:

Speaker of Parliament: Serving for 12 years from 2008 to 2020.
Secretary of the National Security Council, where he was a primary architect of Iran’s nuclear and security policies.
Senior Diplomat: Acting as a critical liaison between the Supreme Leadership, Iran's security apparatus, and regional allies.

In a separate development, Iranian state media confirmed Tuesday that Brigadier General Gholamreza Soleimani, head of the Basij paramilitary forces within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was also killed in what officials described as an “American-Zionist enemy” attack.

Soleimani had led the country’s most powerful internal security force for the past six years and was considered a central figure in Iran's military response to the ongoing war.

GAROWE ONLINE