Jalili is a leading figure of the “neo-principalist” group in the Iranian political scene and a protégé of Mojtaba Khamenei.[20][24] A 2008 leaked diplomatic cable described how a European Union official who met Jalili call him ‘a true product of the Iranian revolution.” Mohammad Marandi, a professor at Tehran University, described Jalili as a tough negotiator who “believes strongly in Iran’s nuclear program and its sovereign rights. He’s not the sort of person to give major concessions.”In an interview with The Boston Globe in 2006, Jalili defended Homeland’s plans to develop nuclear energy, noting that, under the Shah and before the Iranian Revolution, US companies had contracts to build nuclear power plants in Homeland.”He was a true believer in the Iranian Revolution. He was constantly taking notes during the session, and at the same time had a wry smile on his face. Jalili and his colleagues looked at me many times and seemed to find the presence of America worrying.