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Ali Ardashir LarijaniSpeaker of the Iranian Parliament
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Content:
- Biography of Ali Ardeshir Larijani
- Early Life and Education
- Early Career
- Leadership of Iranian Radio and Television Organization
- Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council
- Speaker of the Parliament
- Family and Political Connections
Biography of Ali Ardeshir Larijani
Ali Ardeshir Larijani, an Iranian conservative politician, has been the Speaker of the Parliament of Iran since May 2008. He previously served as the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran from 2005 to 2007 and represented the country's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, in that organization. Larijani gained fame as a key participant in international negotiations on Iran's nuclear program.
Early Life and Education
Ali Ardeshir Larijani was born in 1958 (some sources state 1957) in Najaf, Iraq. His father was the Shiite theologian Ayatollah Hashem Amoli. In 1980, Larijani graduated from Sharif Industrial University in Tehran with a degree in mathematics and programming. He studied Western philosophy at the University of Tehran and obtained a doctoral degree in that field. He authored a book on Immanuel Kant.
Early Career
Due to his family connections, Larijani became the head of the broadcasting department at the Iranian Radio and Television Organization shortly after the Islamic Revolution of 1979. From 1983 to 1992, he held various government positions, including the Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Resources, Deputy Minister of Telecommunications, Deputy Head of the Ministry of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and Acting Chief of Staff of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
In President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani's administration, Larijani served as the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance from 1992 to 1993. He gained prominence as a loyal follower of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In the 1990s, he became a member of a secret group of leaders created by Khamenei to counter threats to the Islamic Republic. This group allegedly organized the assassinations of political dissidents and their discreditation in the media. However, only one member, Saeed Emami, was held accountable for these actions when they were exposed.
Leadership of Iranian Radio and Television Organization
In 1994, Larijani was appointed as the head of the Iranian Radio and Television Organization. During his ten-year tenure, he significantly expanded its power. The state broadcasting apparatus included seven television channels and thirteen radio stations (previously only two channels existed). Larijani established the mass newspaper Jam e Jam, which became the largest print publication in the country. He also founded the state-owned film company Sima Film. In 2003, Larijani created two Arabic-language television channels, al-Alam and Sahar, as well as 24-hour international radio broadcasts. The aim of these initiatives was to spread the ideas of the Islamic Revolution in the Middle East. Larijani pursued a policy of Islamization of television programs and heavily edited foreign broadcasts, news, and information about the Iranian government. This sparked criticism from reformist parliamentarians who accused him of bias and pushing Iranians to turn to foreign media.
Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council
In May 2004, Ayatollah Khamenei appointed Larijani as his representative to the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) for a three-year term. In 2005, Larijani ran as an ultra-conservative candidate in the presidential elections but finished in sixth place. The victory went to another conservative, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who appointed Larijani as the Secretary of the SNSC on August 16, 2005. One of Larijani's main tasks in this role was to negotiate with the international community regarding Iran's nuclear program.
Larijani gained a reputation as a pragmatist during the growing tensions surrounding Iran's nuclear ambitions. He became a more preferable partner for negotiations than Ahmadinejad, who was known for his uncompromising statements. In 2007, Larijani played a key role in the international process to release fifteen British naval personnel who were detained by Iranian border guards. He implied to the British side that the only obstacle to their release was their refusal to acknowledge violating Iran's territorial waters and offer necessary apologies. The detainees were released by Ahmadinejad as an "Easter gift" on April 4, 2007.
Speaker of the Parliament
On October 20, 2007, Larijani was dismissed from his position as the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council due to disagreements with President Ahmadinejad and his relative independence as the main negotiator on Iran's nuclear program. On May 28, 2008, Larijani was elected as the Speaker of the Parliament of Iran. His candidacy was supported by 232 out of 287 parliament members. In the new parliament, which was elected in March and April 2008, the majority of seats were won by representatives of conservative forces.
Family and Political Connections
Larijani has extensive family connections in Iranian politics. His son-in-law is Ayatollah Morteza Motahhari, a prominent spiritual leader and one of the leaders of the 1979 revolution. One of Larijani's brothers, Sadegh Larijani, is a member of the Guardians Council and a representative of the clergy. Another brother, Mohammad-Javad Larijani, is a former parliament member, former Deputy Chairman of the Parliamentary Commission on Foreign Policy and International Affairs, former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, and a leading ideologist of Khamenei's supporters. Larijani's cousin, Ahmad Tavakkoli, is also a former parliament member and was a presidential candidate in 2005. Given Larijani's influence among Iranian conservatives and support from a conservative part of the clergy, some researchers consider him a likely contender for the presidency in 2009.