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Iran has appointed former Revolutionary Guards commander Mohsen Rezaei as head of the country’s Supreme National Security Council, replacing Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, the presidency announced on Sunday.
President Masoud Pezeshkian appointed Rezaei after Zolghadr resigned from the position and was named a political adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei.
Presidential spokesman Mehdi Tabatabaei announced the change on X, saying the appointment followed Zolghadr’s resignation and move to a new role.
“In light of the resignation of Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr from his position as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and his appointment to new functions, President Masoud Pezeshkian has named Mohsen Rezaei as the head of this body,” Tabatabaei said.
The 71-year-old led Iran’s Revolutionary Guards from 1981 to 1997, covering most of the Iran-Iraq war.
He later held several senior political positions before becoming a military adviser to Khamenei.
His appointment comes as the Strait of Hormuz remains a major point of tension in the ongoing conflict between Iran and the United States.
Rezaei said in July that control of the strategic waterway was “more important than dozens of atomic bombs.”
Zolghadr, also a former Revolutionary Guards commander, had headed the Supreme National Security Council since March.
He will now serve as a political adviser to Khamenei, according to a statement from the supreme leader’s office on Sunday.
