Ali Larijani

Ali Larijani was the longest-serving speaker in the history of the Islamic Republic, holding the position from 2008 to 2020. Before entering politics, he served as head of IRIB (1994–2004), appointed by Ali Khamenei as a hardline counterweight to the reformist press during the Khatami era. He subsequently served as Iran's chief nuclear negotiator (2005–2007) and secretary of the Supreme National Security Council. He was disqualified from the 2021 presidential election by the Guardian Council. His brother Sadegh Larijani served as head of the judiciary. He was killed on 17 March 2026 in an Israeli airstrike on Tehran, along with his son Morteza Larijani.