Ali Larijani

Acting Supreme Leader / Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council - Acting Supreme Leader; consolidating power but facing IRGC challenges

Ali Khamenei held the title of supreme leader of Iran for 36 years—longer than any head of state in the modern Middle East. On February 28, 2026, joint US-Israeli strikes on his Tehran compound killed him, along with his daughter, son-in-law, grandson, and at least seven senior military and intelligence officials. Within 24 hours, Iran's constitutional succession process—never before tested under fire—moved from theoretical to operational. The Assembly of Experts, a body of 88 senior clerics with sole authority to select a new supreme leader, convened an emergency session on March 1, while Ali Larijani, a former IRGC commander serving as acting authority, faced immediate challenges from military factions demanding a voice in the succession.

Updated Yesterday

Secretary, Supreme National Security Council - Sanctioned by US Treasury; described as 'mastermind' of crackdown

Iran's last nationwide uprising killed roughly 500 people over several months in 2022. The current one has killed at least 6,842 people—and possibly more than 30,000—in just over five weeks. On January 24, 2026, the UN Human Rights Council voted 25-7 to extend an independent investigation into what officials are calling the deadliest mass killing in Iran's contemporary history. By January 27, the U.S. had deployed the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln to the Middle East as President Trump weighs military strikes; leaked documents now reveal Supreme Leader Khamenei approved a premeditated blueprint for the crackdown months in advance.[1][2]

Updated Feb 4

Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council - Announced reciprocal counter-designation of EU armed forces

For over two decades, the European Union resisted designating Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, wary of severing diplomatic ties with Tehran. On January 29, 2026, that resistance collapsed. All 27 EU foreign ministers voted unanimously to place the IRGC on the same legal footing as al-Qaeda, Hamas, and Islamic State—a designation that triggers automatic asset freezes and travel bans across the bloc. Within hours, the United Kingdom signaled it would follow suit with separate legislation targeting hostile state agencies.

Updated Jan 31

Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council - Sanctioned by U.S. Treasury for coordinating crackdown

Bazaar merchants bankrolled Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution. Now they're in the streets demanding its end. What began December 28 as protests over the rial's collapse to record lows escalated into the largest uprising in the Islamic Republic's 46-year history—spreading to all 31 provinces and uniting working-class laborers, students, and merchants in calls for regime change. The death toll remains highly disputed: activist groups have verified at least 6,100 killed, while leaked government documents suggest 27,500-36,500 deaths. By January 17, the regime had reestablished control through unprecedented force, killing an estimated 147 security personnel in the process.

Updated Jan 31

Secretary, Supreme National Security Council - Sanctioned by U.S. Treasury on January 15, 2026

On December 28, shopkeepers in Tehran's Grand Bazaar closed their stalls and took to the streets. The Iranian rial had just hit 1.4 million to the dollar—double its value from a year earlier. Within days, the protests spread to all 31 provinces, evolved from economic grievances into demands for regime change, and drew comparisons to the 1979 revolution that brought the Islamic Republic to power.

Updated Jan 20