Iran Appoints Ex-Guards Commander Mohsen Rezaei as National Security Chief

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has named Mohsen Rezaei, former commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), as the new head of the Supreme National Security Council, the Iranian presidency announced on Sunday.

Rezaei succeeds Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr following his resignation. According to presidential spokesman Mehdi Tabatabaei, Zolghadr, who took charge of the council in March, will transition into a political advisory role for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei.

Rezaei, 71, brings extensive military and political experience to the country’s top national security post. He commanded the Revolutionary Guards from 1981 to 1997, overseeing operations throughout the Iran-Iraq War, and subsequently held several high-level political advisory roles.

The high-profile appointment comes amid heightened regional tensions, particularly regarding the strategic Strait of Hormuz. In July, Rezaei publicly underscored the maritime passage’s geopolitical weight amid ongoing tensions with the United States, describing control over the strait as paramount to national strategy.