Ruthless Leader and Brilliant Philosopher: Who Is Ali Larijani, Iran's Most Powerful Man?

He orchestrated Iran's massacre of protesters.

“Current section Print in a simple, ad-free format Ad-free and in a comfortable reading format He orchestrated Iran's massacre of protesters”

Haaretz

He is also a philosopher who has written books on Kant.

Haaretz

The writings of Ali Larijani, the Islamic Republic's top security official, reveal an elusive and multifaceted figure.

In June 2009, riots broke out at the University of Tehran in protest against the rigged results of the presidential election held mid-month.

At least 12 people were killed.

Haaretz

The man then serving as speaker of the Iranian parliament, Ali Larijani, immediately condemned the security forces' violence against the students.

He even visited several of the sites where students had been attacked and wondered how it was possible that young people had been assaulted in their dormitories in the middle of the night.

He declared that the law must be respected and that the interior minister should bear responsibility for the events.

The article frames him as a figure defined by two poles: he orchestrated Iran's massacre of protesters, and he is also a philosopher who has written books on Kant.

“Current section Print in a simple, ad-free format Ad-free and in a comfortable reading format He orchestrated Iran's massacre of protesters”

Haaretz

The writings of Ali Larijani, the Islamic Republic's top security official, reveal an elusive and multifaceted figure.