Iran Appoints Zolghadr as Security Council Chief After Larijani Killing

Iran has appointed Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, a retired commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), as the new secretary-general of its Supreme National Security Council following the assassination of Ali Larijani, according to local media reports.

The appointment was confirmed through a presidential decree and cited by Iranian news outlets referencing a post on X by Mehdi Tabatabai, deputy head of communications at the Office of the President.

Zolghadr, born in the mid-1950s, is a veteran of the Iran-Iraq War and spent most of his career within the IRGC. He most recently served as a member of Iran’s Conciliation Council, an arbitration body that resolves internal political disputes.

According to reports, he previously played a key role in the election campaign of the ultra-conservative People’s Front of the Forces of the Islamic Revolution, a group aligned against reformist factions in the country.

His appointment follows the killing of Larijani in what Iranian sources described as a targeted Israeli airstrike in eastern Tehran last week.

Another prominent hardline figure, Saeed Jalili, had been widely considered a leading contender for the role after Larijani’s death.

The Supreme National Security Council is Iran’s highest decision-making body on strategic matters, advising the supreme leader on issues related to national security, defence and safeguarding the Islamic system.

Chaired by the president, the council comprises senior government officials, including ministers and military leaders. Its decisions, including those concerning Iran’s nuclear programme, require approval from the supreme leader to take effect, effectively bypassing parliament.