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An influential political figure aligned with Iran’s former Supreme Leader has sharply criticized Donald Trump, dismissing his actions as ‘delusional fantasies’ and firmly stating that negotiations with the U.S. are off the table.
On Sunday, Ali Larijani, a key supporter of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, made a significant announcement regarding the establishment of a temporary governing body, just hours after the airstrike that resulted in the Supreme Leader’s death.
Larijani accused both the United States and Israel of attempting to ‘plunder and disintegrate’ Iran, while also cautioning internal ‘secessionist groups’ against taking any drastic actions.
In a pointed message directed at President Donald Trump, Larijani declared, “We will not negotiate.”
Larijani took to X to further criticize the U.S. President, stating, “Trump has thrown the region into turmoil with his ‘delusional fantasies’ and is now worried about further American troop casualties.”
‘With his delusional actions, he turned his self-made “America First” slogan into “Israel First” and sacrificed American soldiers for Israel’s power-hungry ambitions.’
He vowed that the Iranian regime would retaliate while claiming the US was the aggressor.
‘Today, the Iranian nation is defending itself. The armed forces of Iran did not initiate the aggression.’
Ali Larijani serves as secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and has emerged as a key figure in Iran’s security hierarchy following Ayatollah Ali Khamenei death
President Trump called Khamenei ‘one of the most evil people in history’
Smoke rises from an area of Tehran after it was targeted in attacks as a series of explosions were heard in the Iranian capital
Earlier on Sunday, Larijani tweeted how Tehran did not wish to attack neighboring countries in the Middle East but felt Iran had no choice but to respond when they are hosting American military bases which are being used to attack Iran.
‘To the countries of the region: We are not seeking to attack you. But when the bases located in your country are used against us, and when the United States carries out operations in the region relying on these forces, then we will target those bases. For these bases are not part of the land of those countries; rather, they are American soil,’ Larijani wrote.
He warned that any rogue elements would face a harsh response if they moved against the state.
A former parliament speaker and veteran member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, he has overseen portfolios ranging from nuclear diplomacy to regional alliances and internal security.
His appointment came after last year’s 12-day air war between Iran and Israel that drew in the United States, returning him formally to the core of Iran’s security establishment – a post he had also held two decades earlier.
In Tehran, with a leadership vacuum opening at the very top of the Islamic Republic, Larijani has moved swiftly to fill it.
Born in Najaf, Iraq, in 1958 into one of Iran’s most prominent clerical families, Larijani holds a doctorate in philosophy.
Larijani made his views clear during a series of tweets over the course of Sunday and Monday
In Tehran, with a leadership vacuum opening at the very top of the Islamic Republic, Ali Larijani has moved swiftly to fill it. Pictured, in May 2024
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a US airstrike on Saturday
An explosion following a strike on Tehran appears to have occurred near state television channel IRIB
Several of his brothers have served in senior government roles. Though barred from running in the 2021 and 2024 presidential elections by the Guardian Council, he has remained embedded in the regime’s inner circle.
In recent months, Larijani traveled to Oman to prepare for indirect nuclear talks with Washington, even as US forces built up in the region.
He also made repeated visits to Moscow, meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin as Tehran deepened security ties with the Kremlin.
He has likewise been involved in managing Iran’s long-term cooperation framework with China.
At times, Larijani struck a pragmatic tone when it comes to nuclear weapons.
‘In my view, this issue is resolvable,’ he told Oman state television last month, referring to talks with the United States.
‘If the Americans’ concern is that Iran should not move toward acquiring a nuclear weapon, that can be addressed.’
Larijani previously served as Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator from 2005 to 2007 and was speaker of parliament from 2008 to 2020 – a period that included the 2015 nuclear agreement with world powers.
Trump withdrew the United States from that deal in 2018 during his first term.
Ali Larijani has publicly rejected renewed talks with the United States following Khamenei’s death, stating that Iran ‘will not negotiate with the US’ amid ongoing military conflict
Mourners attend a memorial vigil on Sunday after Iranian state media confirmed the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, Iran
People gather to mourn the death of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in joint US and Israeli strikes, at a square in Tehran on Sunday
‘Because once you have discovered a technology, they can’t take the discovery away,’ Larijani told PBS Frontline in September 2025.
‘It’s as if you are the inventor of some machine, and the machine is stolen from you. You can still make it again.’
Washington has taken a sharply different view. In January, the US Treasury announced sanctions against Larijani, saying he was ‘one of the first Iranian leaders to call for violence in response to the legitimate demands of the Iranian people’ during a crackdown on anti-government protests.
Rights groups have said thousands were killed during the unrest – the most serious domestic upheaval since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Larijani, for his part, drew a distinction between economic protests and what he described as armed agitation.
‘Popular protests must be completely separated from these terrorist-similar groups,’ state media quoted him as saying on January 10.
‘The rioters are an urban quasi-terrorist group,’ he was quoted as saying on January 26.
On Sunday, Israel’s military said it had killed 40 ‘key’ Iranian commanders in near-simultaneous strikes, including chief of staff Abdolrahim Mousavi, within a minute of hitting Khamenei.
The coordinated assault decapitated much of Iran’s top military leadership and triggered retaliatory missile launches across the region.