Mohsen Rezaei takes Iran’s top security post

Iran has appointed veteran Revolutionary Guards commander Mohsen Rezaei as secretary of the

Iran has appointed veteran Revolutionary Guards commander Mohsen Rezaei as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), placing a prominent security figure in a senior position at a sensitive time for the country.

Rezaei, 71, replaces Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr as secretary of the council. Zolqadr has instead been appointed as a political adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei.

The SNSC plays a central role in coordinating Iran’s national security and foreign policy. It is formally chaired by President Masoud Pezeshkian and includes senior military, intelligence and government officials.

Rezaei brings decades of military and political experience to the position. He joined the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) after the 1979 Islamic Revolution and became its commander in 1981, when he was only 27.

He remained at the helm of the IRGC for 16 years. Much of his tenure coincided with the Iran-Iraq war from 1980 to 1988. During that period, he oversaw the development of the organisation’s land, naval and air capabilities.

After leaving the IRGC command, Rezaei remained an influential figure within Iran’s political and security establishment. He later served for more than two decades as secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council.

He also entered electoral politics and repeatedly sought the presidency of Iran. From 2021 to 2023, he served as vice president for economic affairs under former President Ebrahim Raisi.

Rezaei holds a doctorate in economics from the University of Tehran, although much of his career has been focused on military, security and political affairs.

His relationship with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is another significant factor behind his new appointment. Rezaei was named a military adviser to Khamenei after the latter assumed the supreme leadership earlier this year.

Khamenei also issued a decree appointing Rezaei as his representative on the SNSC. The decree highlighted Rezaei’s extensive military experience, particularly his role during the Iran-Iraq war.

During the ongoing conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel, Rezaei has frequently made public statements on security and foreign policy issues. He has expressed strong opposition to concessions in negotiations with Washington and has repeatedly taken a hard-line position on Iran’s security interests.

His appointment therefore places an experienced IRGC commander at the centre of Iran’s national security decision-making structure.

Rezaei’s political journey began even before the Islamic Revolution. As a teenager, he became involved in opposition activities against Iran’s Pahlavi monarchy. He was arrested by SAVAK, the Shah’s security service, in 1973.