Description
Ali Ardashir Larijani (born June 3, 1958) is a prominent Iranian conservative politician, philosopher, and former military officer. He was born in Najaf, Iraq, to Iranian parents from a distinguished religious family. His father, Ayatollah Mirza Hashem Amoli, was a senior Shi’ite Muslim cleric who moved to Najaf in 1931 due to persecution by Reza Shah but returned to Iran in 1961 when Larijani was three years old.
Larijani holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Tehran and has published articles in philosophy and political science.
He began his career as a parliamentary deputy to the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Later, he was a deputy cabinet minister in the 1980s.
In 2005, Larijani was appointed as the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, a position he held until 2007. He was reappointed to this role in August 2025 following a 12-day air war with Israel. His reappointment signals a potential strategic shift from a hardline stance toward a more moderate approach within Iran’s ruling theocracy.In addition to his security roles, Larijani served as the Speaker of the Parliament of Iran from 2008 to 2020. He has also been a close adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
