Iran appoints former IRGC commander Mohsen Rezaei as national security chief

Iran has appointed former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Mohsen Rezaei as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), placing a prominent hardliner at the center of the country’s defense and foreign policy establishment.

Rezaei replaces Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr, who held the post briefly following the death of previous secretary Ali Larijani during an air strike in the ongoing conflict with the US and Israel.

Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei issued a decree appointing Rezaei as his direct representative on the council alongside Saeed Jalili, citing Rezaei’s extensive military experience during the Iran-Iraq War.

The leadership shuffle comes as Iran negotiates conditional proposals to reopen shipping lanes through the Strait of Hormuz amid ongoing military and diplomatic friction.

Rezaei, 71, commanded the IRGC from 1981 to 1997 and later served as secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council and vice president for economic affairs under President Ebrahim Raisi.

Zolqadr, whom officials shifted to a political advisory role under the Supreme Leader, had previously outlined strict preconditions for diplomatic progress, including an immediate end to US military threats and an easing of economic sanctions.