Iran: Former IRGC commander the new security chief

Former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr has been appointed as the new Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, according to state media reports.

Zolqadr, who currently serves as secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council, an influential advisory body to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, replaces senior politician Ali Larijani, who was killed in an Israeli strike on March 17 amid escalating regional tensions.

Iranian state broadcaster Press TV said that Zolqadr’s appointment was made by presidential decree with the endorsement of the Supreme Leader.

His selection comes at a time of heightened confrontation between Iran, the United States, and Israel.

Zolqadr is considered as veteran of the Iran–Iraq War, as he has held several senior military and political roles.

During the presidency of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, he led the IRGC Joint Staff for eight years, and after Mahmoud Ahmadinejad took office in 2005, Zolqadr was appointed Deputy Interior Minister for security and police affairs.

He later moved into judicial and advisory positions, serving as an adviser to then–Chief Justice Sadeq Larijani in 2010 and becoming deputy judiciary chief for strategic affairs in 2012.

In 2023, during the presidency of Ebrahim Raisi, he was named secretary of the Expediency Council.

As head of the Supreme National Security Council, Zolqadr is expected to play a central role in shaping Iran’s strategic and defense decisions during the ongoing crisis.

In a statement, Parliament Speaker Mohammad‑Bagher Ghalibaf praised the appointment, describing Zolqadr as an experienced figure with a revolutionary and jihadi spirit capable of guiding Iran through a period of conflict and geopolitical pressure.