Ali Larijani

On 15 January 2026, the US Treasury sanctioned Ali Larijani, then Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council. OFAC described him as responsible for coordinating the response to protests on behalf of the Supreme Leader and as one of the first leaders to call on security forces to use force against demonstrators.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

After registering again for the snap presidential election of 2024, Ali Larijani was once more disqualified by the Guardian Council. His exclusion from a second consecutive presidential election fuelled debate over political vetting of candidates even within the conservative camp.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Institutional responsibility

The Guardian Council rejected Ali Larijani's presidential candidacy in 2021 despite his status as former Speaker of Parliament and central figure in the regime. Larijani called for the reasons to be publicly explained to him. Ali Khamenei subsequently stated that some candidates had suffered injustices because of allegations against themselves or their families, without naming Larijani.

State of the evidence

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Attribution

Institutional responsibility

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad played a recording in Parliament purportedly implicating Fazel Larijani, Ali Larijani's brother, in a discussion in which the influence of his brothers in senior positions was allegedly invoked to obtain economic advantages. The episode triggered a major political confrontation with Ali Larijani, then Speaker of Parliament.

State of the evidence

Alleged

Attribution

Indirectly implicated

Following the 2009 post-election protests, Ali Larijani stated that a parliamentary investigation had concluded that rape allegations at Kahrizak and Evin were "completely unfounded". The statement was highly controversial because ill-treatment at Kahrizak had been acknowledged and detainees' deaths had prompted proceedings against officials at the facility.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

Ali Larijani resigned in October 2007 as Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and chief nuclear negotiator. The government cited personal reasons, but Reuters and other sources reported longstanding disagreements with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad over negotiation tactics and the cost of international isolation.

State of the evidence

Documented

Legal status — source text

Not applicable

Attribution

Political responsibility

As Culture Minister and subsequently head of IRIB, Ali Larijani was associated with tighter cultural and media controls. Human Rights Watch documented the replacement of Mohammad Khatami by Larijani amid a conservative campaign against publications and artists, while subsequent sources described IRIB under his leadership as strongly biased against reformists, including official criticism of the impartiality of political coverage.

State of the evidence

Reported by the press

Attribution

Direct responsibility

An investigation by the reformist Parliament into IRIB's finances reported significant irregularities, including poorly documented revenue, accounting problems and unsettled customs obligations. Some sources valued the irregularities at several hundred billion tomans. Larijani, then head of IRIB, rejected the findings as unfounded and invited their authors to take the matter to court.

State of the evidence

Documented