Anjan Roy
Another key leader of Iran was assassinated in an Israeli raid on Tuesday, leaving the country even more deeper in a stormy sea with lost leadership. Ali Larijani, who was the head of national security of Iran, and was reportedly virtually leading the country since the death of killing of the supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei in the US-Israeli bombing.
After the assassination of Ali Khamenei, Iran supreme leader, along with some forty top leaders of Iran, there was a power vacuum, which was partly filled by Ali Larijani.
The chosen successor of Khamenei, his second son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was also reported to have been seriously injured in another daring raid on the Iranian leadership. Ever since his election to the top position, and reports of his injury, Mojtaba was not seen or heard in person. Instead his message was read out.
Larijani, who has been a prominent figure in the top echelons of Iran’s political structure, had been playing a vital role. Larijani was widely experienced as a senior diplomat who had held negotiations with the West for the nuclear accord. Larijani was also the speaker of the Iranian parliament for as long as eleven years and was closely cued up to the ways of the country’s top elites.
Larijani was very close to the slain supreme leader Khamenei and had been framing Iran responses in diplomatic issues. Over the years Larijani had emerged as a deft and practical politician. He was believed to have been middle of the road person and not too much of a hardliner. However, after the death of the supreme leader he had been known to have pursued a very tough line in the current confrontation.
The removal of Larijani from the scene would mean it would be even more difficult to find a practical politician with whom US-Israeli negotiators could have held parleys. It is now becoming increasingly difficult to find people with whom the outside world could hold talks for an end of the current war.
Larijani is one of five brothers who were all highly placed and had key roles in the country ruling dispensation. One of Larijani’s brothers was the head of Iran’s judicial structure. The ochre brothers were also in key positions.
Meanwhile, there are reports floating about the death of incapacity of the immediate successor of supreme leader Ali Khamenei. Some reports had indicated Mojtaba was in Russia receiving urgent medical treatment in Moscow. However, the Iranian ambassador to Russia has denied the report of his injury or medical treatment there.
Opening up some back channel diplomacy for defusing the situation had assumed greater importance as the USA finds itself totally isolated. The European Union leaders have bluntly refused to take part in American offensive on Iran.
The top foreign affairs official of EU, Kaja Kalas, has clearly stated that USA had launched the Iran war without any consultations with NATO members or with the EU. Now that USA was finding it difficult to find a passage through the Strait of Hormuz, he was appealing to EU for aid.
British and German prime minister and president respectively have turned down US requests for participation, saying that it was not in the interest of their countries to get involved.
Elimination of a senior and experienced leader in Iran would put a further stumbling block in the way of opening up some informal dialogue with Iran.
On the other hand, there were some reports about the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, being killed in some missiles attacks. Some fake videos are apparently in circulation showing Netanyahu having some social interactions.
However, cyber experts point out that the video circulating is fake and created with artificial intelligence tools. These experts are pointing out at some glaring mistakes in the video circulating.
Israel is also claiming the death of a the chief of Iran’s Basij force which is involved in internal policing and suppression of internal dissent. The head of Basij force was involved in the brutal suppression and killing of protestors immediately before the war was launched. (IPA Service)
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