In a February 22 New York Times report on Iran’s preparations for the war that would break out less than a week later, Ali Larijani featured prominently.

The Islamic Republic’s “top national security official” has “effectively been running the country,” Times reporter Farnaz Fassihi wrote. Larijani managed the domestic crackdown on dissent that erupted in late December 2025, engineering the slaughter of tens of thousands of Iranians. He kept “a lid on dissent” domestically. Abroad, he liaised with some of Iran’s foremost allies in the undemocratic world, including top Chinese officials and Russian President Vladimir Putin himself. Larijani had become the ...

© National Review