Iran Appoints Former Revolutionary Guards Chief as National Security Council Secretary

Iran has appointed former Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps commander Mohsen Rezaei as secretary of the country’s Supreme National Security Council, following the resignation of Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr.

The Iranian presidency announced the appointment on Sunday, saying President Masoud Pezeshkian selected Rezaei to lead the country’s highest national security body after Zolghadr stepped down to take up a new role.

Rezaei, 71, commanded the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps from 1981 to 1997, a period that covered most of the Iran-Iraq War. He later held several senior political positions and served as a military adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei.

In July, Rezaei said that control of the Strait of Hormuz was more important to Iran than “dozens of atomic bombs.” The strategic waterway has become a major focus of the ongoing conflict between Iran and the United States.

Zolghadr, who also previously served as a senior Revolutionary Guards commander, became secretary of the Supreme National Security Council in March. According to a statement from the Supreme Leader’s office, he will now serve as a political adviser to Khamenei.

Rezaei’s appointment comes amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington, particularly over the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s conditions for reopening the vital shipping route.

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