Iran appoints Mohsen Rezaei as secretary of top security council

DUBAI: Iran has appointed former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Mohsen Rezaei as the new secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), placing a prominent and outspoken figure in charge of the body responsible for coordinating the country’s security and foreign policy.

The appointment was announced late Sunday by the office of President Masoud Pezeshkian’s deputy director of communications. Rezaei replaces Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr, who had held the position since late March.

Zolqadr was appointed following the death of his predecessor, Ali Larijani, who was killed in an air strike during the conflict between Iran, the United States and Israel.

Iranian authorities did not provide a reason for the latest leadership change, and it remains unclear whether Rezaei’s appointment will result in any shift in Tehran’s security or foreign policy.

The development comes as Iran continues discussions with Oman over arrangements for maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which has remained largely closed during months of conflict.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Saturday that Tehran and Muscat were close to reaching an agreement on a new shipping route through the strategic waterway. He said, however, that reopening the strait would depend on several conditions, including compensation from the United States.

Zolqadr had previously outlined several demands from Tehran, including an end to US threats and military action against Iran and its regional allies, the lifting of sanctions and the release of Iranian assets.

The SNSC is chaired by Iran’s elected president and brings together senior military, intelligence and government officials, along with representatives of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The supreme leader retains the final authority on matters of state.

Rezaei, 71, commanded Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps from 1981 to 1997, including during much of the Iran-Iraq war. He later served as secretary of Iran’s Expediency Discernment Council for more than two decades and as vice president for economic affairs from 2021 to 2023 under hardline President Ebrahim Raisi.

He holds a doctorate in economics from the University of Tehran but has spent much of his career in Iran’s security and political establishment.

A decree from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei on Sunday also appointed Rezaei as his representative on the SNSC, joining fellow hardliner Saeed Jalili, with the decree citing Rezaei’s “valuable experiences”, including his role during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war.

In the same decree, Khamenei appointed Zolqadr as his political adviser.