Israeli defense minister says Ali Larijani, top Iranian security official, killed by Israel in overnight strike
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli defense minister said Tuesday that the Israeli military killed top Iranian security official Ali Larijani in an overnight strike.
Israel Katz made the announcement.
The Israeli military also announced it killed Gen. Gholam Reza Soleimani, the head of the Revolutionary Guard’s all-volunteer Basij force.
Iranian state media did not immediately confirm either death. However, it said a message from Larijani’s office would published shortly.
The killings again strip away top leaders from the Iranian theocracy after the Feb. 28 strike that killed 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“Larijani and the Basij commander were eliminated last night and have joined Khamenei, the head of the annihilation program, along with all those eliminated from the axis of evil in the depths of hell,” Katz said in a statement.
Larijani hails from one of Iran’s most famous political families. A former parliamentary speaker and senior policy adviser, he was appointed to advise the late Khamenei on strategy in nuclear talks with the Trump administration. He also served as the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, its top security body.
Born June 3, 1958, Larijani had been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury in January as Tehran violently suppressed nationwide protests. It identified him as being “responsible for coordinating the response to the protests on behalf of the supreme leader of Iran.”
“Larijani was one of the first Iranian leaders to call for violence in response to the legitimate demands of the Iranian people,” the U.S. Treasury said at the time.
The nationwide protests in January and the violent crackdown that followed killed thousands and saw tens of thousands detained.
Larijani had been a conservative force within Iran’s theocracy. He served as parliament speaker from 2008 to 2020. However, as Iran increasingly felt pressured from abroad and at home, Larijani began issuing more hard-line threats.
Larijani’s brother, Sadeq, had served as the head of Iran’s judiciary.
The late Khamenei had barred Larijani from running for president in 2021 after he positioned himself as a pragmatic candidate who would back a return to Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.
“I have done my duty before God and the dear nation, and I am satisfied,” Larijani wrote on then-Twitter at the time. “Thank you to all those who expressed their gratitude and I hope you will participate in the elections for the promotion of an Islamic Iran.”
