Iran has appointed Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, a former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) officer, as its new security chief following the killing of Ali Larijani, official state media reported on Tuesday. Mr. Zolghadr was named Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, taking office as Iran fights a full-scale war with the United States and Israel. During Mr. Larijani’s tenure, the role was regarded as one of the most influential positions in Iran, and he was considered a close confidant of the Supreme Leader before being assassinated by Israel last week. Like many of Iran's ruling elite, Mr. Zolghadr has held an array of roles in government and the military during a career spanning decades, including serving as deputy commander of the IRGC, the loyalist army that has launched waves of missiles at Israel and Gulf countries.
A brigadier general appointed by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in 2007 to work with the Basij paramilitary force, Mr. Zolghadr previously served as deputy interior minister under hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose policies pushed Iran into a nuclear stand-off with the West. He also held senior positions in the judiciary and was appointed in 2021 as secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council, which advises the Supreme Leader, currently Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei. Mr. Zolghadr remains under sanctions by the UK, US, and European Union for his influential role in Iran's nuclear program. His extensive experience across military, security, and judicial institutions is seen as a strategic move by Tehran to ensure regime survival and maintain strategic coordination during the ongoing regional conflict.