After Larijani assassination, who's holding the wheel in Iran?

10 snips

Mar 18, 2026

Lazar Berman, diplomatic correspondent with expertise in Middle East and Iranian politics. He describes Iran’s missile barrages and the impact of Ali Larijani’s assassination on regime leadership. He breaks down power struggles between the IRGC and clerical establishment. He outlines how Iran’s institutions operate and how international players like China and India are reacting.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

INSIGHT

Larijani Was The Regime's Central Coordinator

Ali Larijani was the regime's key post-Khamenei coordinator between clerics and the IRGC.
He personally ran nuclear policy and wartime coordination, and his death removed Iran's most important operational bridge.

INSIGHT

IRGC Is Becoming The De Facto Power Center

The Islamic Republic is shifting from clerical control to IRGC dominance as its operational core.
With many senior IRGC leaders dead, third-tier commanders now run operations, making the IRGC the de facto power center.

INSIGHT

Iran's Retaliation Appears Decentralized

Iran's current strikes appear decentralized with local commanders empowered to fire.
That explains broad, sometimes indiscriminate barrages at Israel and Gulf states rather than tightly coordinated strategy.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.

Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

An elderly couple, identified as Yaron and Ilana Moshe, were killed early Wednesday morning in Ramat Gan by a cluster missile as Iran continued to fire salvoes at Israel through the night and into the morning. From midnight to 8 a.m., there were four rounds of missile fire that caused injuries and damage to property.

Iran confirmed on Tuesday that Israel had assassinated overnight Ali Larijani, one of the most important Iranian officials still alive. Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s National Security Council, was the regime’s key figure after the assassination of supreme leader Ali Khamenei by Israel on February 28. Berman weighs in on his significance and how this may affect the regime moving forward.

US President Donald Trump on Monday accused allies of showing low “enthusiasm” for the coalition he proposed to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most vital route for oil tankers. Berman discusses the different responses from NATO allies, China and India.

And finally, we speak about the blowback that Trump is facing within his own MAGA movement after director of the US National Counterterrorism Center Joe Kent's dramatic resignation letter.

Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.

For further reading:

Ramat Gan couple in their 70s killed by Iranian cluster missile

Larijani’s death removes key pillar of regime. Will it be enough to make Iran collapse?

Ali Larijani was hardline voice in Iran’s regime for decades, with supreme leader’s ear

Pro-regime crowds gather in Iran as authorities seek to squelch potential protests on Nowruz

Trump slams allies’ low ‘enthusiasm’ for his proposed coalition to open Hormuz

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. Yitzhak Ledee produced this episode and Ari Schlacht edited.

IMAGE: Mourners attend the funeral procession for senior Iranian military officials and civilians killed during the US-Israel campaign as a portrait of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, son and successor of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is seen at center, in Tehran, Iran, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.