Iran Appoints New Top Security Chief Following Israeli Strike Death of Predecessor

Tehran. Iran appointed a successor to senior security chief Ali Larijani on Tuesday, following his death in an Israeli attack. Former Revolutionary Guards commander Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr has been appointed as the head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, succeeding Larijani.

Bagher Zolghadr is a staunch former deputy commander-in-chief of the army, committed to Islamic ideology and thought. He has also held senior positions in the Interior and Justice Ministries.

Larijani was killed last week in an Israeli strike. He was considered one of the high-ranking figures in the current leadership who reached prominence in Iranian politics from a non-clerical background. He was seen as central to any decision regarding negotiations with the United States.

Zolghadr's service is rooted in the Revolutionary Guards, whose declared objective is to protect the Islamic Revolution from internal and external threats.

After serving in the war against Saddam Hussein's Iraq in the 1980s, Zolghadr served as the chief of the Guards Joint Staff for eight years and subsequently as the Guards' deputy commander-in-chief for another eight years.

In 2005, he was appointed as the Deputy Interior Minister for Security and Police in the government of then-President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. At that time, he was viewed as a figure increasing the influence of the Guards in Iranian politics.

Since 2023, he served as the secretary of the 'Expediency Council.' This is a powerful body in Iran that plays a role as an advisor and mediator between Iran's various power structures and the Supreme Leader.

However, the current leadership structure in Tehran remains ambiguous amid the assassination of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the lack of public appearance by his declared successor son, Mojtaba.

Zolghader was formally appointed by President Masoud Pezeshkian, but Deputy Communications Director Mehdi Tabatabai wrote on X, "The nomination was approved by Mojtaba Khamenei."