Khamenei resurrects 'moderate' Larijani after regional setbacks

Former Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani’s visit to Lebanon and Syria as the Supreme Leader’s special envoy after years of isolation has sparked speculations about his possible political return.

During the two high-profile visits last week amid Israeli air strikes, Larijani delivered personal messages from Ali Khamenei to allied militant groups, the Lebanese authorities and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Both visits received extensive coverage from domestic, regional, and international media, although very few details were revealed about the messages he carried and the talks he held.

The veteran politician who had kept a very low profile since 2020, when his tenure ended in the parliament, reportedly relayed Khamenei’s blessing for a US-mediated ceasefire with Israel to Hezbollah.

According to Iranian media, during his visit, he delivered a message of support and reassurance to the Syrian president in light of Israel's threats to target him. The visit, they suggest, may also serve to counter allegations that ties between Tehran and Damascus have weakened following Israel's strikes on Iran in late October.

“It must be born in mind that after Israel’s strikes on Iran, some [groups or people] tried to change the course of Iran's relations with Syria, saying Syria had been passive or even claiming that the country had allowed Israeli fighter jets to use its airspace,” Rouydad24 news website said in a commentary entitled “What is Larijani’s Mission in Damascus” Thursday.

“But now with Larijani’s visit it has been revealed that the relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Assad are as strong as before,” the article added.

Pundits and Iranian media suggest that Khamenei’s decision to entrust the moderate-conservative Larijani with delivering his messages signals a move to assign Larijani a prominent role in Iran's foreign affairs apparatus.

Larijani, who served as secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council from 2005 to 2008 and, prior to that, headed the state broadcaster IRIB from 1994 to 2004 by Khamenei's appointment, chose not to seek re-election to parliament in 2020 after twelve years of leadership. Instead, he set his sights on the presidency.

The ultra-hardliner Guardian Council, however, barred him from running for the presidency then and again this year after Ebrahim Raisi’s death in a helicopter crash by announcing that it had been able to “ascertain” his qualifications for running for the post without any further explanations despite Larijani’s insistence.

To most in Iran, the rejection of Larijani’s candidacy in two consecutive terms signaled the end of his political career and his “political death”.

However, Khamenei had appointed Larijani as a member of the Expediency Council and as an adviser to the Supreme Leader in 2020, which was largely seen as ceremonial and of little political importance.

“Choosing Ali Larijani to relay the messages of the Leader of the Revolution also suggests that approval of the Guardian Council [as in Jalili’s case] does not necessarily mean approval by the great Leader of the Revolution and disqualification by the Council also does not mean lack of qualification [for participation] in the country’s political structure,” Rouydad wrote.

In a commentary on Sunday titled “Radicals Dream of Eliminating Larijani Did Not Come True” Khabar Online, a news website believed to represent Larijani’s interests, claimed his “special appointment” by Khamenei has raised concerns among ultra-hardliners who fear President Masoud Pezeshkian may appoint him as the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council.

By law, the secretary of the Council does not have a vote in its decisions. However, they can gain voting rights if appointed as the Supreme Leader's representative to the Council, as has been the case in most prior instances.

Both positions are currently held by ultra-hardliner Saeed Jalili who after losing the elections to Masoud Pezeshkian appears to have somehow also fallen from Khamenei’s favor, too.