- Rezaee Takes Charge of Iran’s Top Security Body Amid Heightened Regional Tensions
TEHRAN: Iran has appointed former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander-in-chief Mohsen Rezaee as secretary of the country’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), the presidency announced Sunday.
Presidential spokesman Mehdi Tabatabaei said on X that President Masoud Pezeshkian had appointed Rezaee following the resignation of Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, who has been assigned new responsibilities.
Rezaee Returns to Senior Security Role
The 71-year-old Rezaee headed the Revolutionary Guards from 1981 to 1997, overseeing the force during most of the Iran-Iraq War. Following his tenure as IRGC commander, he held several senior political positions and later served as a military adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei.
His appointment comes at a particularly sensitive time for Iran, with regional security tensions remaining high and the Strait of Hormuz emerging as a major flashpoint in the confrontation between Tehran and Washington.
In July, Rezaee said that control of the strategic waterway was “more important than dozens of atomic bombs,” underscoring the significance Tehran attaches to the Strait of Hormuz.
Zolghadr Appointed Adviser to Supreme Leader
Rezaee succeeds Zolghadr, himself a former Revolutionary Guards commander, who assumed leadership of the Supreme National Security Council in March.
According to a statement issued Sunday by the office of the Supreme Leader, Zolghadr will now serve as a political adviser to Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei.
The leadership change places another veteran of Iran’s security establishment at the helm of the country’s top national security body as Tehran navigates heightened tensions with the United States and a rapidly evolving regional security environment.
BY: The Times Union
