Could Ali Larijana be Trump’s man in Iran? ‘He’s the LeBron James of lying’

Ali Larijani, one of Iran’s few surviving military or political leaders, has emerged as one of the key figures after U.S. and Israeli strikes took out Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamanei. 

Larijani on Sunday rejected that he sought negotiations with the U.S. to halt the joint American and Israeli attacks, which entered its third day on Monday.

President Trump has offered conflicting statements on the ultimate goals of the operation, flipping between overthrowing the Islamic Republic to only neutralizing the regime’s military and nuclear threats. 

In the weeks preceding his death, Khamanei tapped the 67-year-old Larijani to take on greater responsibilities beyond his already high-profile position as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran. 

Analysts say Larijani might be flexible enough to give Trump an off-ramp, preserving the regime’s survival by capitulating to U.S. demands. 

Yet there are also many who comment on his serial lying.

“All Islamic Republic officials are fantastic liars, but Ali Larijani takes it to a different level,” said Ray Takeyh, senior fellow for Middle East studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. 

“He’s the LeBron James of lying. I am absolutely sure he’s reaching out to the Americans, because that’s what he does. He is – I’m sorry for the language – one of the greatest scumbags of Iranian politics. That may actually help him.”

Trump raised the prospect of Venezuela as a template for Iran, Fox News host Bret Baier said the president told him in a phone interview on Monday. 

That leaves open the possibility that Trump is willing to accept a deal without demanding the destruction of the regime, similar to what happened in Venezuela.  

In Venezuela, Trump captured then-President Nicolas Maduro, indicted in the U.S. on drug charges but internationally recognized as a corrupt, authoritarian leader who oversaw a decades-long campaign of violent repression against regime critics. 

But Trump granted a Venezuelan official seen by many as a Maduro accomplice, Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, to assume power as interim president so long as she accedes to U.S. demands. 

In an interview with ABC News on Sunday, Trump said at least three people he had identified as possible candidates to take over Iran were killed in the initial attack. 

The White House did not respond to a request for comment. 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Capitol Hill on Monday that the U.S. “might” be involved in shaping Iran’s next government, but qualified “we’ll see how circumstances play out.” 

Behnam Ben Taleblu, senior director of the Iran Program with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, described Larijani as “the most important national security person in the Islamic Republic,” and the head of the most important institution, the Supreme National Security Council of Iran.

Taleblu said what makes Larijani so effective is what makes him dangerous. He also raised Iran’s former president Hassan Rouhani as another powerful official who could be someone the U.S. does business with, describing them as Iran’s version of “deep-state national security bureaucrat.”

“They work with Iran’s various factions. They’re trusted by some of the most hard-line elements. They’ve been pushed back by some of the most hard-line elements, but they’ve also come back and been invited back by some of the most hard-line elements,” Taleblu explained.

“In some ways they’re more dangerous actually, because they’re more capable.”

The New York Times reported last week that as part of Khamanei’s succession plan, officials discussed who could be the “Delcy of Iran” and put Larijani top of the list. Also included is Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of Iran’s parliament, and Rouhani. 

Larijani has projected defiance against the U.S. in multiple posts on X. He threatened to burn the hearts of Iran’s enemies, in retaliation for Khamenei’s death; said Iran “will not negotiate with the U.S.,” said Trump has “BETRAYED ‘AMERICA FIRST’ TO ADOPT ‘ISRAEL FIRST,’” and that Iran “has prepared itself for a long war.” 

Larijani is a veteran politician and former commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), one of the most powerful branches of the Armed forces that answers directly to the Supreme Leader. The IRGC controls Iran’s ballistic missile stockpiles, is responsible for building up proxy forces across the region and responsible for terrorist attacks abroad.

The IRGC’s volunteer-domestic armed force, the Basij, violently cracked down on protesters during mass demonstrations between December and January. Nearly 7,000 people are believed to have been killed in the regime’s crackdown. 

The Times reported that Larijani was responsible for directing the violent and deadly crackdown, and that Khamenei approved his expanding portfolio, convening with Tehran’s allies in Russia, communicating with Oman and Qatar and overseeing the negotiations with the U.S. over Iran’s nuclear program.

“There is one way in which Ali Larijani is very much like Delcy Rodriguez, which is, he is complicit in every crime of the regime, just as she is,” said Elliot Abrams, senior fellow for Middle East Studies with CFR, who served as special representative for Iran and Venezuela in Trump’s first term. “That’s the kind of player we’re talking about.”

The Times reported that Larijani is not likely a candidate for the next Supreme Leader because he is not a senior Shiite cleric. 

Under the Islamic Republic’s succession plan, a three-member body takes over governing duties in the absence of the Supreme Leader, while the 88-member panel called the “Assembly of Experts,” meets to pick a new supreme leader. 

Elisa Ewers, senior fellow for Middle East studies at the CFR, said it’s hard to imagine Larijani or any other ideological hardliners as agreeing to the demands Trump laid out most clearly on Monday, and that was also part of negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program that most recently took place on Feb 26. 

“If this was just simply to remove the Supreme Leader and that was the only demand, then we’re in a different kind of environment,” she said.

“But that’s not what the president is asking for. He’s now asked for what is four things. Maybe that’ll change again, but there is no clear path for me to see Larijani, or anyone else being able to satisfy what has been laid out in a way that brings these individuals into a kind of a sustained position.”

On Monday, Trump said the U.S. has four main objectives in its massive military operation: destroy Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities; annihilate its Navy; “ensure” that Iran can never obtain a nuclear weapon and end its support for proxy militias across the region. 

Dennis Ross, distinguished fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy and veteran diplomat in the Middle East, said Trump’s “vague” objectives for the war gives him room to maneuver. 

“One reason to be vague about objectives is it maximizes your freedom of choice, it maximizes your ability to define what is success, it also keeps a lot of people in the dark,” he said on a panel discussion. 

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

More International News

Cannabis hyperemesis syndrome is on the rise: What symptoms to watch for

TSA moves to center of shutdown drama as jittery lawmakers offer warnings for ...

John Bolton says Hegseth needs ‘attitude adjustment’ after Iran briefing

Kelly says it’s ‘unlikely’ he’d back war authorization

Video shows Hillary Clinton erupt at GOP over unauthorized Boebert photo during ...

Zinke announces he won’t seek reelection

Poll: Talarico, Paxton hold slim edge heading into Tuesday primary

Fetterman ‘baffled’ by some senators not supporting Iran operation

Centcom raises ‘Epic Fury’ death toll to 6 service members

Ted Cruz: 'No indication' that Iran was 'close to getting nuclear weapons'

Iranian-backed militias in Middle East join war

Kuwait ‘mistakenly’ shoots down 3 US F-15s: Pentagon

Supreme Court hears arguments on whether government can disarm drug users 

Could Ali Larijana be Trump’s man in Iran? ‘He’s the LeBron James of ...

5 questions for Trump amid the Iran crisis

Texas attorney general: ‘Illegal’ for mental health providers to ...

Trump: ‘I don’t care about polling’ showing Iran strikes unpopular

Starmer breaks with Trump on Iran, says UK doesn’t support ‘regime change ...

© The Hill