Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said the killing of senior official Ali Larijani will not destabilize the country’s leadership, emphasizing that Iran’s political system is built to withstand the loss of individual figures.

Speaking in an interview with Al Jazeera following confirmation of Larijani’s death, Araghchi argued that both the United States and Israel misunderstand how power operates within Iran.

“The Islamic Republic has a strong political structure with established institutions across political, economic and social spheres,” Araghchi said. “The presence or absence of a single individual does not affect this structure.”

He acknowledged that key figures can play influential roles but stressed that the system itself remains intact regardless of leadership changes.

Araghchi pointed to the earlier assassination of Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, during the opening phase of U.S.-Israeli strikes on February 28, saying the government continued functioning and swiftly appointed a successor.

“We have not had anyone more important than the leader himself, and even after his death, the system continued its work,” Araghchi said, adding that any future losses would be handled in the same way.

“If any official is killed, there will always be someone to take their place,” he said, underscoring what he described as the resilience and continuity of Iran’s governing system.