Ali Larijani
Ali Larijani
Iranian politician; longtime Speaker of the Iranian Parliament (Majlis) and the Islamic Republic's chief nuclear arms negotiator. A conservative political figure, yet also a man with genuine philosophical interests — he holds a doctorate in philosophy and has written on Islamic political theory.
Connection
Jim Fredericks was invited to dinner at Larijani's home in Tehran. Jim reports that in March 2026, a bomb was dropped on this house and Larijani is presumed dead.
Why Herbert Would Be Delighted
The connection runs through one of the most significant areas of interfaith and political dialogue: an American Catholic theologian seated at the dinner table of Iran's chief nuclear negotiator. It is a reminder that interreligious dialogue happens not just in conference rooms but in homes — and sometimes in places of great danger.
Cross-Connections
- Mahmoud Ahmadinejad – also connected via Jim Fredericks; both figures from the same political era in Iran