Iran Mourns Ali Larijani: Look Back at Life of Key Political Figure

Born in 1958 in the Shiite holy city of Najaf, Iraq, Ali Larijani came from one of the most influential political families in modern Iran. His brothers held key positions, including head of the judiciary, director of state television and radio, and members of parliament, making the Larijani family a “political dynasty” with influence comparable to the clergy and the IRGC.

Larijani enjoyed the trust of both the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, of which he had been a member since the 1980s, and the senior clergy.

He demonstrated an early aptitude for the exact sciences, earning a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and computer science in 1979 from Sharif University of Technology, Iran’s leading technical university. He later shifted to the humanities, earning a master’s and doctoral degree in Western philosophy from the University of Tehran, focusing his dissertation on Immanuel Kant.

In his political career, Larijani held numerous influential roles: Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (2005–2007, and again from August 5, 2025) and Speaker of Parliament (2008–2020). As Secretary of the Council, he led key negotiations with the Six-Party Pact countries on Iran’s nuclear program, and in 2015, as speaker of Parliament, he played a decisive role in concluding the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action nuclear deal.