Replacing the head of Iran's National Security Council, Ali Larijani, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike, will not be an easy task, CNN reports, trying to profile the most likely successor to his former number two in Tehran. By law, Iranian President Masoud Pesekian will be the one to appoint the next national security adviser, with rumors indicating that Larijani's most likely replacement will be Saeed Jalili.
Jalili previously served as national security adviser, was chief nuclear negotiator, and is currently a member of the Iran Appraisal Council. Iran analyst and Yale University lecturer Aras Azizi notes that “Jalili is a hardliner, the leader of the most anti-Western and extremist part of the regime.” “His elevation to this position would underscore a sharp shift toward the hardliners, as Larijani was considered much more of a centrist and realist figure,” he adds. As CNN reports, Larijani was considered by many analysts to be the most important decision-maker in the country, a negotiator capable of working with different factions both within the regime and internationally.
However, Jalili may be less adept at working with different parts of the Iranian system than Larijani, the US network notes. “His rigidity and extremism could be a weakness for the regime in Tehran and reduce its ability to cope with the difficult situation it finds itself in,” Azizi explained. The elite Revolutionary Guards “hold most of the real power in Iran today” and so may want someone with “more military experience that would be more appropriate for the current circumstances,” he added. Whoever is chosen to replace Larijani will play an important role in any negotiations to end the war. “Given that the National Security Council is now the main center of power in Iran, replacing Larijani on the council will shape the balance of power in Iran and affect its stance toward the United States and Israel in any negotiations,” the Iran expert was quoted as saying by CNN.
After Larijani's death, Jalili published a message in which he said that "these actions will not save the weak enemy from the quagmire in which it is trapped; on the contrary, they will accelerate the course of its defeat and humiliation," according to the state-run Tasnim news agency.
