Ali Larijani

Ali Larijani was Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, the country’s highest body responsible for coordinating national security affairs, strategy, and security policy, including coordination between the military, intelligence agencies, and the government. He was born on June 3, 1958, in the city of Najaf, Iraq, into a religious family with significant political and social influence in Iran. After completing high school, Larijani studied computer science and mathematics at Sharif University of Technology, and later pursued master’s and doctoral studies in Western philosophy at the University of Tehran. He began working at the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting organization after the Islamic Revolution in 1979, and upon entering the organization was appointed Director General of Foreign Broadcasting and of the organization’s Central News Bureau. From 1981 to 1982, he served as head of the broadcasting organization’s Central News Unit. Larijani served from 1982 to 1983 as Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Welfare for Parliamentary Affairs; in 1983, he served for a period as Deputy Minister of Communications for Legal and Parliamentary Affairs; and from 1986 to 1989, he served as Deputy for Legal and Parliamentary Affairs at the Ministry of the Revolutionary Guards. From 1989 to 1992, he was Deputy Chief of the Joint Staff of the Revolutionary Guards. In 1992, Larijani was appointed Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, serving in the position for more than a year, until 1993. In 1993, he was appointed by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting organization, a position he held for 11 years, until 2004. In 2005, he was appointed Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. In 2008, he was elected as a member of the Iranian parliament representing Qom Province, and that same year he was also elected Speaker of Parliament, a position he held continuously until 2020. During his tenure as Speaker of Parliament, he became one of the leading figures in the country’s political system. After the end of his parliamentary term, he remained an influential figure in the political arena and also served as a member of a body that advises Iran’s Supreme Leader. In 2025, Larijani returned to serve as Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. In this role, he also represented Iran’s Supreme Leader on the council and served as a senior adviser on security and foreign policy affairs.