Iran Names IRGC Veteran Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr to Lead National Security Council

Overview

• Zolghadr, who state TV said was appointed Tuesday by President Massoud Pezeshkian, takes over from Ali Larijani, killed in reported Israeli strikes on Tehran last week.
• The Supreme National Security Council sets Iran’s foreign, defense and internal security policy, including military strategy and the nuclear file.
• Zolghadr is a long-time Revolutionary Guard commander who later held senior Interior and Justice posts, and reporting links him to the 2022 crackdown after Mahsa Amini’s death.
• Europe 1 portrays a hardening core of the regime and highlights parliament chief Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf’s rising profile, while Le Parisien emphasizes IRGC image management and credits new Guards chief Ahmed Vahidi with backing Zolghadr.
• Recent coverage describes an opaque power picture, with Mojtaba Khamenei reported wounded and offstage, a climate that observers say could steer security policy toward a tougher line against the United States and Israel.