Overview
- Zolghadr, whose appointment the president’s deputy announced Tuesday with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei’s approval, replaces Ali Larijani after his killing in a US-Israeli strike last week.
- The Supreme National Security Council sets Iran’s security, foreign and nuclear policy, so its secretary directs wartime plans and shapes any outreach to rivals.
- A former Revolutionary Guard commander and Expediency Council secretary, Zolghadr has held top security, interior and judiciary posts and is under UK, US and EU sanctions.
- The IRGC publicly congratulated him, while state and regional media stress his long service and many analysts say the move tightens Guard influence over decisions.
- The change follows Mojtaba Khamenei’s succession after his father’s assassination and an expanding fight with the US and Israel, which makes Zolghadr a key gatekeeper for any talks on de-escalation.