The death of senior Iranian official Ali Larijani in an Israeli airstrike has deepened uncertainty within Iran’s leadership, removing a key strategist at a pivotal moment for the country. Larijani, who served as secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, played a central role in shaping decisions on defence, diplomacy and national security. Though not a military commander, he was widely regarded as one of the Islamic Republic’s most influential policymakers, particularly in managing tensions with the United States and Israel.

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His death follows the reported killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in late February, compounding a growing leadership crisis. In recent weeks, multiple senior officials and commanders have been killed, suggesting a sustained effort to weaken Iran’s governing structure during wartime.

Leadership vacuum amid ongoing conflict

State media confirmed Larijani’s death as Israel intensified strikes targeting key figures. His loss leaves a significant gap in decision-making at a time when Iran faces overlapping internal and external pressures.

Despite his reputation as a hardliner, Larijani was often described domestically as a pragmatic figure, combining ideological commitment with a measured, technocratic approach. He was involved in diplomatic efforts, including engagement linked to Iran’s long-term co-operation agreement with China, while maintaining scepticism toward Western powers.

Three major crises left unresolved

At the time of his death, Larijani was overseeing several critical challenges. Chief among them was the ongoing war, where he had advocated for a prolonged conflict and potential expansion across the region, including threats to disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

He was also managing a wave of domestic unrest that had escalated from economic discontent into broader anti-government protests. Authorities responded with a crackdown that reportedly resulted in thousands of deaths.

In addition, Larijani was involved in navigating Iran’s nuclear programme and stalled indirect negotiations with Washington, both of which have been disrupted by recent hostilities.

Shift towards military influence

His removal raises questions about how these crises will now be handled. Analysts suggest power could shift further toward the armed forces, particularly as the government struggles to maintain continuity.

Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, has indicated that military units may be granted broader authority to act if senior leadership is incapacitated. This could lead to faster decision-making but potentially with less central coordination.

Meanwhile, signs of uncertainty over succession persist. Public appearances by the new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, have been limited, and official announcements have been delayed, fuelling speculation over internal stability.

Risk of further escalation

In the immediate aftermath, Iran’s military leadership has signalled a strong response. Army chief Amir Hatami warned of “decisive” retaliation, raising the prospect of further escalation in the conflict.

While Iran has demonstrated resilience, including through disruptions to global energy markets, continued strikes and leadership losses could undermine its ability to respond effectively over time.

The death of Larijani is therefore seen as more than the loss of a single official. It highlights mounting pressure on Iran’s leadership and increases the risk of instability, both in the conduct of the war and within the country itself.

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Adapted by ASEAN Now. Source 18 March 2026

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Holy smoking turbans' keep up the great work some things are worth more than the price of oil 🤔

Elimination of Larijani is a development hugely in favor of the U.S. and Israel. Larijani was probably the most competent Iranian official. Some observers believe he ran the country on its day-to-day basis, handling administrative matters that were beyond religious clerics. He was also adept at balancing factions within the Islamist movement.

Without Larijani, the hardline Islamists will have a much more difficult time remaining in power.

48 minutes ago, Evil Penevil said:

Elimination of Larijani is a development hugely in favor of the U.S. and Israel. Larijani was probably the most competent Iranian official. Some observers believe he ran the country on its day-to-day basis, handling administrative matters that were beyond religious clerics. He was also adept at balancing factions within the Islamist movement.

Without Larijani, the hardline Islamists will have a much more difficult time remaining in power.

More isareli talking points - kill,kill,kill,bomb,bomb,bomb - destroy one state after another the problem for Israelois the world is waking up and not taking this crap anymore. He died proud and defiant knowing his death was near not cowering in some bomb shelter somewhere in Tel Aviv plotting destruction an epic scale. When you corner a savage wolf they have no alternative to fight by any means necessary and that's where we are paying for Israel's perceived security with a destablised world. Isarel doen't like neighbours with defiance and skill it would rather have failed states and civil wars than face the consequnces of their historical actions. They are land theives - just think if your neighbour nicked some of your boundary how would you feel. Now x that by amillion and you get the picture.

https://archive.ph/vOADz

In appearance, Larijani was more bank manager than radical.

Softly spoken, in short, crisp sentences that made necessary points, he was a listener, not a loudmouth. To Israel, however, he was the kind of pragmatist it deems a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

That is what Iran has lost: someone capable of doing whatever it takes to maintain his place in a hierarchical system where survival – he was parliament speaker for 12 years until 2020 – is the highest skill in politics.

They took out Ali Khamenei thinking regime change. Didn't happen. Replaced a pragmatic conservative for a hardliner who lost his father, mother, wife and son. Then they took out Larijani, a moderate conservative and likely replaced with Saeed Jalili who is a radical conservative and expect the regime to give up power. Serious mis-calculation. You killed diplomacy for assassinations, deaths and bombs that only galvanized and hardened their resolve to resist and revenge.

1 hour ago, Eric Loh said:

They took out Ali Khamenei thinking regime change. Didn't happen. Replaced a pragmatic conservative for a hardliner who lost his father, mother, wife and son. Then they took out Larijani, a moderate conservative and likely replaced with Saeed Jalili who is a radical conservative and expect the regime to give up power. Serious mis-calculation. You killed diplomacy for assassinations, deaths and bombs that only galvanized and hardened their resolve to resist and revenge.

MOSSAD assasinated the celebrated Palestinian author Ghassan Kanafani in 1970 in Beirut - 56 years ago, and unarguably the threats facing Israel has never been more critical so the policy of kill kill kill bomb bomb bomb isn't working execpt to create the ghosts of hundreds of thousand blown up souls that will haunt Israel for ever unless they change their ways. They are going down a blind alley and want to drag us all down there with them. You can't kill an idea for those who have no fear

It seems that Israel is eliminating all the individuals who may be able to lead negotiations for Iran. Is there a pattern?

1 minute ago, candide said:

It seems that Israel is eliminating all the individuals who may be able to lead negotiations for Iran. Is there a pattern?

Yup, Israel is taking out Iran's A-and B- teams, leaving the C-team to run the war and the country. An Iranian leader doesn't need negotiating skills to say, "We surrender."

Larijani had a huge amount of blood on his hands- Iranian blood, not Israeli.

"He was appointed secretary of the SNSC [Supreme National Security Council] last August and is thought to have overseen the unprecedented crackdown by the Basij and other security forces on protests that swept across Iran in December and January. At least 6,508 protesters were killed and 53,000 arrested, human rights activists say." https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c24deezq6meo

It is distressing that some members of AN defend the government of Iran. Anything that hastens its downfall can only be positive.

9 minutes ago, Evil Penevil said:

Yup, Israel is taking out Iran's A-and B- teams, leaving the C-team to run the war and the country. An Iranian leader doesn't need negotiating skills to say, "We surrender."

Larijani had a huge amount of blood on his hands- Iranian blood, not Israeli.

"He was appointed secretary of the SNSC [Supreme National Security Council] last August and is thought to have overseen the unprecedented crackdown by the Basij and other security forces on protests that swept across Iran in December and January. At least 6,508 protesters were killed and 53,000 arrested, human rights activists say." https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c24deezq6meo

It is distressing that some members of AN defend the government of Iran. Anything that hastens its downfall can only be positive.

Glad to add some more distress to your evil existence - I fully support the Iranian people and their governments struggle to stay free, proud and independent country.

He was running the show. This is a big strike. Bajaj commander Gholamreza Soleimani also taken out. Two very high value targets. Senior leader after senior leader taken out. Who's running the country and the war now? Whoever it is they too might not be around much longer.

3 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

He was running the show. This is a big strike. Bajaj commander Gholamreza Soleimani also taken out. Two very high value targets. Senior leader after senior leader taken out. Who's running the country and the war now? Whoever it is they too might not be around much longer.

Are you gloating over their assassinations?

17 minutes ago, mistral53 said:

Glad to add some more distress to your evil existence - I fully support the Iranian people and their governments struggle to stay free, proud and independent country.

You can't support both the Iranian people and their current government. That's an inherent contradiction. The Islamist regime of Iran has been one of the most oppressive towards its own citizens the world has seen since Nazi Germany, which many in its day also described as a "free, proud and independent country."

15 minutes ago, scottiejohn said:

Are you gloating over their assassinations?

He was running the show. Fact.

This is a big strike. Fact.

Bajaj commander Gholamreza Soleimani also taken out. Fact.

Two very high value targets. Fact.

Senior leader after senior leader taken out. Fact?

Who's running the country and the war now? A reasonable question.

Whoever it is they too might not be around much longer. Fact.

No gloating here. Just reality.

6 hours ago, Evil Penevil said:

Elimination of Larijani is a development hugely in favor of the U.S. and Israel. Larijani was probably the most competent Iranian official. Some observers believe he ran the country on its day-to-day basis, handling administrative matters that were beyond religious clerics. He was also adept at balancing factions within the Islamist movement.

Without Larijani, the hardline Islamists will have a much more difficult time remaining in power.

What gives the yanks the right to kill Iranian leaders? You do know it's an international war crimes?

12 minutes ago, JimCM said:

What gives the yanks the right to kill Iranian leaders? You do know it's an international war crimes?

It's not a matter of right but of necessity. Self-preservation and defense of Jewish people, both Israelis and others, makes it necessary. The Islamic Republic of Iran wants to destroy the U.S. as well as exterminate all Jews. It would be insane to allow them to acquire nuclear weapons and taking out leaders is one step in bringing about the overthrow of the Islamist government.

Whether it is a war crime can only be determined by an ICC trial and that doesn't look like it will happen.

6 minutes ago, Evil Penevil said:

It's not a matter of right but of necessity.

Of course it is a matter of right.

Did you see what Joe Kent wrote about Iran being no imminent threat and the illegal war was all because of Israel?

Do you disagree with him?

3 hours ago, mistral53 said:

Glad to add some more distress to your evil existence - I fully support the Iranian people and their governments struggle to stay free, proud and independent country.

The Iranian people are not “free” because of their government. Supporting the Iranian government is almost the exact opposite of supporting the Iranian people.

A free country doesn’t shoot protesters in the streets. During the 2022 “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests after Mahsa Amini died in morality-police custody, more than 500 people were killed and over 20,000 arrested according to human-rights groups. Dozens of those killed were children. People have also been executed for protest-related charges since then. Thats not freedom.

And that may not even be the full scale of it. Some investigations and medical sources have suggested the real death toll from various crackdowns could be far higher, because many killings go unreported and bodies are sometimes buried quickly under state control. Some reports have speculated that the number of deaths from different protest crackdowns could reach into the tens of thousands, though those figures are debated. Even the lowest confirmed numbers already tell you what kind of system this is.

Women in Iran are still legally forced to wear hijab under state law. Refuse and you can be arrested, beaten, or worse. The protests that shook the country started because a young woman died in custody for allegedly wearing it “improperly”. That alone should tell you something.

Women are technically allowed to drive cars, but even that comes with state control. Authorities have confiscated tens of thousands of vehicles belonging to women accused of violating compulsory veiling laws. Imagine living in a country where even driving can get your car seized by the state because of how you are dressed.

When Iranians can protest without being shot, when women aren’t policed by the state over what they wear, and when dissent doesn’t lead to prison or execution - then maybe the word “free” might apply. Until then its simply not reality.

So, the legendary $1 trillion operation to replace Khamenei's father with Khamenei's son is complete, right?
This time, the brave military men showed us they'd gotten smarter and killed not only the father but also the son. A stunning result.

2 hours ago, dinsdale said:

The information war. He's gay. He's dead. He's had his leg blown off. He's in a coma. He's in Russia getting treatment. As it is only one thing can be said to be true. He hasn't been seen.

Interesting I got a thumbs down for this post which is 100% factual. All of the things I listed have been said about him and is part of the information war and it's a fact he hasn't been seen. I guess some folks just have to do the thumbs down thing. Maybe the member (:-)) who gave the thumbs down would like to explain why.

All these top level leaders of Iran are multi millionnaires who possess vast real estate investments all over the UK. Yet strangely the Europeans or Americans will not squeak a word. They would rather attack the financial structures of other nations.

9 hours ago, JimCM said:

Of course it is a matter of right.

Did you see what Joe Kent wrote about Iran being no imminent threat and the illegal war was all because of Israel?

Do you disagree with him?

Yes, I saw what he wrote and yes, I disagree with him.

How stupid to kill the main negotiator in any possible deal to end the war. Clearly Israel and the US don't want it to end.

Of course they don't want it to end

until they achieve the 'greater Israel' goal. ie stealing even more land from its neighbors and enforcing complete dominance over the region.

10 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

A free country doesn’t shoot protesters in the streets.

Alex Pretti.......Renee Nicole Goode

1 hour ago, Evil Penevil said:

Yes, I saw what he wrote and yes, I disagree with him.

So you think he was lying. I have always said the war was due to Netanyahu and the Israel lobby.

1 hour ago, animalmagic said:

Alex Pretti.......Renee Nicole Goode

Those two weren't shot for protesting. Alex Pretti was armed with a concealed pistol and had struggled as ICE agents tried to disarm him. Renee Goode was attempting to flee in a car from ICE agents who had stopped her. An agent was fearful of being run over and shot her.

2 hours ago, JimCM said:

So you think he was lying. I have always said the war was due to Netanyahu and the Israel lobby.

I don't he is lying. He has a different interpretation of the situation.

11 minutes ago, Evil Penevil said:

I don't he is lying. He has a different interpretation of the situation.

Interesting. You think you know more about the reasons for the war than the Director of the National Counterterrorism Center (2025–2026).

Quite unbelievable the denial you are in.

41 minutes ago, JimCM said:

Interesting. You think you know more about the reasons for the war than the Director of the National Counterterrorism Center (2025–2026).

Quite unbelievable the denial you are in.

I don't at all think I know more about the situation than Joe Kent. That would be ridiculous. I agree with those in power who have a different interpretation than Kent. I put my faith in them, not Kent.

19 hours ago, Evil Penevil said:

You can't support both the Iranian people and their current government. That's an inherent contradiction. The Islamist regime of Iran has been one of the most oppressive towards its own citizens the world has seen since Nazi Germany, which many in its day also described as a "free, proud and independent country."

That is simply not true. It is certainly no worse than Saudi Arabia, which has brutally oppressed women's rights, exported Wahhabism to numerous countries, and incubated Bin Laden and his associates. Furthermore, the practice of Judaism and other religions remains illegal and punishable there.

The real difference is that the House of Saud received protection from the U.S. in exchange for its oil and its refusal to join the opposition. Iran's 'real crime' was standing in opposition to the U.S. and building a regional resistance against the Zionist entity. Let's be absolutely clear this war isn't about bringing fredom to the Iranian pepole and never was. It is Netanhayu and his cronies war and anyonew who supports it is directly responsible foir the globla chaos it is causing.