Ali Larijani, a senior Iranian security official and conservative figure within Iran’s theocracy, was killed in an Israeli strike, Iranian authorities confirmed Tuesday. He was 67. Iran also said his son, Morteza Larijani, was killed.

The developments came after Israel said earlier Tuesday that it had killed Larijani, with Iranian confirmation arriving several hours later. Larijani was widely believed to be running Iran after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in U.S. and Israeli strikes late last month that sparked a widening war, MSI previously reported.

According to the Associated Press, Larijani had been appointed to advise Khamenei on strategy in nuclear talks with the Trump administration. He traveled to Oman to meet with mediators just two weeks before the war began, the AP reported. Like other senior Iranian leaders, Larijani was under heavy U.S. sanctions and had been implicated in the violent repression of mass protests in January.

AP said Larijani was not eligible to become supreme leader after Khamenei’s death because he is not a Shiite cleric, but he was expected to serve as a top adviser. The AP described a widespread view that Iran’s leadership had moved underground amid U.S. and Israeli strikes, increasing the role of senior security officials.

In a post on X a week earlier, after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to attack Iran “TWENTY TIMES HARDER” if Tehran stopped oil flowing through the Strait of Hormuz, Larijani responded with a message warning Trump not to “get eliminated yourself.” The AP report said Larijani wrote, “The sacrificial nation of Iran doesn’t fear your empty threats. Even those bigger than you couldn’t eliminate Iran,” and added, “Be careful not to get eliminated yourself.”

AP also described Larijani’s background, saying he was born into one of Iran’s most prominent political families. It said one brother, Sadeq, served as head of Iran’s judiciary, while another, Mohammad Javad, was a senior diplomat who closely advised Khamenei on foreign affairs. Over the years, AP reported, Larijani issued increasingly hard-line threats and held senior government roles, including serving as Iran’s culture minister in the 1990s and tightening censorship.

Larijani served as parliament speaker from 2008 to 2020 and most recently led Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, AP said. The report said he wrote at least six philosophy books, including three exploring the works of German philosopher Immanuel Kant.