Iranian authorities confirmed on Tuesday that an Israeli strike had killed Ali Larijani, a senior Iranian security official and a prominent conservative figure within the country’s theocracy. He was 67.
Larijani was widely seen as a potential leader after the killing of Iran’s supreme leader in US and Israeli strikes last month, sparking a wider conflict. While Israel announced his death earlier on Tuesday, Iran did not confirm it for several hours.
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Ali Larijani married Farideh Motahhari at the age of 20 and together they have four children: Morteza Larijani, Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani, Mohammad Reza Larijani and Sarah Larijani.
Fatemeh Ardeshir LarijaniLarijani’s daughter, worked as an assistant professor at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. She studied and practiced medicine in the United States, including positions at University Hospitals Cleveland and later at Emory University’s Winship Cancer Institute.
She is a specialized oncology doctor who was granted a green card in 2021 under the administration of former US President Joe Biden.
In early January, the university announced her termination following an online petition calling for her deportation.
Fatemeh Ardeshir Larijani has been removed from Emory University in Georgia. (Source: IranWire)
Sara Larijani she has remained largely out of the public eye and very little information is available about her life or activities.
Morteza Larijani he was reportedly killed alongside his father in an Israeli airstrike in March 2026, according to multiple reports and confirmation from Iranian authorities. He was believed to have served as a special assistant or maintained a close role in his father’s office.
Mohammad Reza Larijani he maintains a relatively low public profile and is believed to be living in Iran, possibly conducting business, religious studies or other non-political activities.
Iran’s elite status
Members of Iran’s ruling elite have been accused of blatant hypocrisy with claims they are using state resources to support their adult children living in the West while overseeing worsening economic hardship and repression at home, The Guardian reported in February.
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According to a report by The Guardian, Kambiz Ghafouri, an Iranian writer and human rights activist based in Helsinki, said: “They made Iran a hell for Iranian citizens and sent their children to the West to live happily. If there was a referendum on whether people wanted to send the children of the Iranian authorities back to Iran, I think more than 90% would say yes.”
Ali Larijani’s family
The Larijani family originates from Damavand in northern Iran, although Ali Larijani was born in Najaf, Iraq in 1957 while his father was working there. Relatives of Ali Larijani, born into one of Iran’s most prominent political families, often compared by the media to the Kennedys in the United States, played a prominent role. His brother Sadeq headed Iran’s judiciary, while another brother, Mohammad Javad, served as a senior diplomat and key foreign affairs adviser to the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
The family wields significant power in Iran’s political system, forming what one Turkish media outlet described as an “influential network of power” covering the upper echelons of the regime.
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A report by a Jordanian think tank emphasizes that Larijani’s father, Grand Ayatollah Mirza Hashem Amoli, was a respected jurist and imparted early scholarly credibility on his sons. His brothers held key positions, most notably Sadeq Larijani, a lawyer and former head of the judiciary who served on key constitutional bodies and was at times seen as a potential successor to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
The report notes that Larijani holds a doctorate in philosophy, a background that has influenced his political approach, characterized by measured rhetoric, careful reasoning and a preference for nuanced, multi-layered solutions. Larijani was also a published philosopher, writing at least six books, including three focusing on the works of the German philosopher Immanuel Kant.
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Larijani was killed late Monday along with his son Morteza Larijani and his SNSC deputy Alireza Bayat. Several members of the security forces also lost their lives in the incident.
In a formal message of condolence, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian expressed deep sorrow at the loss, calling Larijani a “virtuous, precious and dear brother”.
(With input from agencies)
