Key Player: Ali Larijani

Ali Larijani is the current Speaker of the Iranian parliament and a strong ally of Khamenei. He is a hardliner, but also a rival of Ahmadinejad. He is very intelligent and charismatic, but sadly has tied his fortunes with the hardliners currently running the country. The amount of conflict he has with Ahmadinejad will be key in understanding Ahmadinejad's relationship with the hardliners in the regime.

Larijani is the son of an Ayatollah and he is also married to the daughter of another Ayatollah. Yet even with this religious background, Larijani decided to pursue an academic career and eventually got a Ph.D. in Western Philosophy. He was a a member of the important group the Revolutionary Guard along with many of the other leading hardliners in Iran. He served for a time as the Minister of Culture under Rafsanjani and then was head of the state broadcasting company for 10 years.

In 2005, he ran as a conservative candidate for president in a crowded election. Even though he was the apparent choice of Khameini, he only got 6% of the vote in an election won by Ahmadinejad. This would create a competition between the two for control of the conservative movement in Iran.

After his election loss, he took the position of Secretary of the National Security Council. In that role, Larijani played a key part in the nuclear program and the negotiations with the international community. Larijani ran for parliament in the 2008 elections and was elected as a member from Qom. He became the powerful speaker of the Parliament and has had continual conflict with the administration of Ahmadinejad.

Larijani supported the stolen election of Ahmadinejad and the suppression of the people. Yet at the same time, he has tried to make statements to placate the public and ease tensions. Larijani will be critical when Ahmadinejad selects his cabinet because Larijani can either help or hinder Ahmadinejad's efforts to approve his ministers. Even though he is hardliner, Larijani is a smart politician who may flee ship if he sees that it is sinking. His relationship with Ahmadinejad and the extent to which he supports the regime will be critical in the coming months to understand what is going on in Iran.