Saeed Jalili

Saeed Jalili (Persian: سعید جلیلی; born 6 September 1965) is an Iranian politician and diplomat, who was secretary of the Supreme National Security Council from 2007 to 2013. He is currently a member of the Expediency Discernment Council, and is the former nuclear negotiator for Iran.

He was previously deputy foreign minister for European and American Affairs, and an unsuccessful candidate in the June 2013 presidential election, placing third. He also ran in 2021, but withdrew in favour of Ebrahim Raisi before the election. Jalili contested the 2024 presidential election but was defeated by Masoud Pezeshkian in a runoff election.

Jalili was a soldier in the Iran–Iraq War and had lost part of his right leg during the Siege of Basra. Upon this event, he earned the title of "Living Martyr". He holds a PhD in political science, and teaches the "Prophet's diplomacy" at the Imam Sadiq University. In 2009, Jalili was named as one of the 500 most influential people in the Muslim world. His tenure as chief negotiator on Iran's nuclear program was characterized by an uncompromising approach.

Jalili is known for his staunch hardline positions and confrontational rhetoric against the West, while pushing for stronger relations with Russia and China. Backed by the fundamentalist Paydari Front, He attributes Iran's economic troubles to international sanctions and rejects social liberalization. This has earned him significant influence as well as discomfort among the more pragmatic factions within the Iranian establishment.