Iran's supreme spiritual and political leader, Ali Khamenei, fearing an attack during nationwide protests, handed over control over key issues to the head of the security services and former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Ali Larijani, the New York Times reported on Sunday.
Larijani's promotion meant the sidelining of President Massoud Pezeshkian.
The NYT claims that Larijani's responsibilities have been systematically expanding in recent months. The 67-year-old former military officer formally holds the position of Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council. The daily bases its information on interviews with six senior Iranian officials.
Larijani was also responsible for suppressing the wave of protests that swept across Iran in the first half of January and publicly called on the security services to use force to suppress peaceful demonstrations.
Currently, Larijani maintains contacts with powerful allies such as Russia and regional players such as Qatar and Oman. He also oversees nuclear negotiations with Washington and develops plans to manage Iran in the event of a potential war with the United States, the NYT emphasized.
In an interview with the Qatari station Al-Jazeera, Larijani assured that Iran is now stronger than before and ready for a possible conflict with the US. – We have been preparing for the last seven, eight months. We found our weakest points and eliminated them. We are not looking for war and we will not start one. But if they force us, we will respond, he said.
According to the daily, Khamenei has designated four levels of succession for each of the key positions in the military command and government. He also instructed all people in management positions to appoint a maximum of four successors and delegated responsibilities to a small group of trusted people who would make decisions in the event of a breakdown in communication with him or his death.
In June 2025, while in hiding during the 12-day war with Israel, Ayatollah Khamenei named three candidates who could replace him as supreme leader. Although their names have not been revealed, it is believed that Larijani is not among them – under Iranian rules, the position can only go to a senior Shiite cleric.
Vali Nasr, an expert on Iran from the Department of International Studies at the American Johns Hopkins University, said in an interview with “NYT” that Khamenei expects to become a martyr. – He divides power and prepares the country for the next great change, both succession and war, aware that succession may occur as a result of war – he commented.
According to the newspaper's interlocutors, Tehran is acting on the assumption that American military attacks are inevitable despite continuing talks with the US, and Iran has put all its armed forces on high alert and is preparing for fierce resistance. It deploys ballistic missile launchers along the border with Iraq so as to be able to attack Israel and along the southern shores of the Persian Gulf, which means that American military bases in the region will be within its range. (PAP)
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