Former IRGC Commander Mohsen Rezaei Appointed Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has appointed former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Commander Mohsen Rezaei as Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC). The appointment follows the resignation of Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr from the post to undertake a new role as political adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader. The head of Iran’s Government Information Council, Seyed Mehdi Tabatabaei, announced the appointment via X. “Following the resignation of Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr as Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and his appointment to new responsibilities, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has appointed Mohsen Rezaei as Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council,” Tabatabaei wrote, as reported by Fars News Agency on Monday (10/8). Previously, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei had appointed Rezaei as his deputy on the SNSC. Rezaei holds a doctorate in economics from the University of Tehran and has extensive experience in Iran’s security and military sectors. During the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s, Rezaei served in the IRGC. He later served as Secretary of Iran’s Expediency Discernment Council. Rezaei’s appointment as SNSC secretary places him in a critical position within Iran’s national security architecture. The SNSC is the body responsible for formulating national defence and security policy and coordinating policies related to Iran’s strategic interests. Meanwhile, Zolqadr, who previously served as SNSC secretary, has been appointed as political adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader.