Ali Larijani, considered a key power broker in the Iranian regime, issued warnings against the United States and Israel on the 28th (local time), as Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei was reportedly killed in an airstrike.
Larijani, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), posted on X (formerly Twitter) that afternoon, stating, "We will make the Zionist criminals and shameless Americans regret their actions."
"Iran's brave soldiers and great people will teach the oppressive international devils an unforgettable lesson," the secretary emphasized.
The post appeared to come after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested in a video address that "there are several signs that Khamenei is no longer here," implying the supreme leader's death.
According to a report by The New York Times dated the 22nd, Larijani is known to be the person Khamenei designated as the top candidate to manage the theocratic system in the event of his death. Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf is reportedly next in line.
Larijani was once regarded by the West as a "pragmatic conservative."
However, he is now assessed as having positioned himself at the forefront of hardline policies when the theocratic system faced threats, reportedly pushing for bloody crackdowns using the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Basij militia when anti-government protests intensified in Iran in January.
French daily Le Figaro reported that Larijani blocked attempts by reformist figures, including former President Hassan Rouhani and former Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, to exclude Khamenei from the decision-making process during the protest period.
Analysts suggest that such actions demonstrating loyalty to the theocratic system have earned him Khamenei's deep trust.