A closer look at the institutions and relationships underpinning the principlist politician’s influence
Beyond his public political career, Ali Larijani was embedded in a network of media, publishing, and quasi-state institutions tied to Iran’s ruling elite. The principlist politician was killed in an Israeli airstrike on March 17 along with his son, Morteza. Under Larijani’s watch, Iran’s state television began to serialise the forced confessions of political detainees.
From shaping conservative news platforms to holding roles in entities linked to the Supreme Leader’s office and IRGC-affiliated structures, Larijani’s influence extended deep into the economic and informational infrastructure of the Islamic Republic.
Media
Larijani cemented his political clout during his ten-year tenure as head of IRIB, Iran’s state broadcaster, from 1994 to 2004. During this period, IRIB backed the founding of Jam-e Jam, a conservative newspaper that evolved into a mouthpiece for Ali Khamenei. State-affiliated journalists in Iran also say Larijani had editorial influence over Khabar Online, a widely read principlist news platform. Under his watch, Iran’s state television began to serialise the forced confessions of political detainees in the documentary-style show Hoviyyat, which aired in 1996.
Publishing
Larijani was a board member at Book City, a popular privately held bookseller co-owned by the Khamenei family, from 2004 to 2008, according to national business registry records. He was also a trustee of Amir Kabir Publishing House, which is controlled by the Supreme Leader’s office and co-managed by clerics and IRGC officials close to Ali Khamenei.
Bonyads and Military
Although his name is not linked to any defense-related entity in official records, Larijani frequently appeared at the founding of strategic institutions. He also made public statements regarding the operations of Khatam al-Anbia, the IRGC’s sprawling engineering conglomerate. Despite the opacity surrounding its activities, Larijani was able to estimate the number of individuals involved in Khatam projects during a 2016 expo, according to a Fars News report from that time. He also co-managed Amir Kabir Publishing alongside former Mostazafan Foundation executives Mohsen Rafiqdoust and Mohammad Saeedikia.
Larijani also attended the 2016 opening ceremony of the Kerman-based halal Plasma Bank. The institution was founded by Ali Sadr-Hasheminejad, an internationally sanctioned businessman with ties to Venezuela, to serve the medical needs of Iran’s paramilitary.
Health
Larijani’s brother, Baqer Larijani, was a long-time board member of Soudeh Medical and Treatment Center, a medical institution linked to the family of former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. Other board members are connected to the Mola al-Movahedin Charity (MMC), a bonyad that forms a core component of the IRGC Quds Force’s domestic economic network.
Larijani’s brother-in-law, Seyyed Mostafa Mohaqeq Ahmadabadi (aka Mohaqeq Damad), was also connected to the Institute for Research, Education, and Treatment of Cancer.