Mohammad-Baqir Zolghadr
Mohammad-Bagher Zolghadr has been appointed as the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, as reported on social media X by Mohammad-Mehdi Tabatabai, the deputy head of the Iranian president's administration for public relations. He replaces Ali Larijani, who was killed on March 17 as a result of an Israeli Defense Forces strike on Tehran.
Last week, Iranian news agencies reported that the new Secretary of the National Security Council was to be former Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan. However, this information was later denied by his associates.
In the 1990s and early 2000s, Zolghadr served as the deputy commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). He is considered one of the founders of the "Ramazan Garrison," which served as the basis for the formation of the Quds Force. Additionally, he is associated with the establishment of the paramilitary group "Ansar-e Hezbollah."
Since September 2021, Zolghadr has held the position of Secretary of the Expediency Council, which is an advisory body to the Supreme Leader of Iran and resolves disputes between the parliament and the Guardian Council. During Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidency (2005−2007), he served as the Deputy Minister of Interior for Security Affairs.
Since February 28, the United States and Israel have begun military operations against Iran. As a result of these operations, among others, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and several high-ranking military officials were killed. The Tasnim agency reported that along with Ali Larijani, his son and chief of security were also killed. Iranian President Masoud Pazeshkian announced intentions to avenge the death of the high-ranking official.
