Iran appoints IRGC veteran to top security role after Larijani killing

Iran has moved quickly to reshape its security leadership after a high-profile assassination, appointing a veteran figure from within its military establishment to one of the country’s most sensitive posts.

Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, a former commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), has been named secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), replacing Ali Larijani, who was killed earlier this month in a US-Israeli air strike. The appointment was announced on Tuesday by President Masoud Pezeshkian’s deputy of communications.

The SNSC sits at the centre of Iran’s decision-making system on defence and foreign policy. While formally chaired by the president, it brings together senior military, intelligence and political figures, along with representatives of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. In practice, it acts as a coordination hub where strategic decisions are shaped before moving up the chain of authority.

Reporting from Tehran, Al Jazeera’s Ali Hashem said “Zolghadr’s appointment suggests Iran’s leadership is trying to add more military layers to the national security establishment”.

“An important thing to note is that whoever is sitting at the negotiation table will have to get Zolghadr’s approval before anything passes,” he added.

Zolghadr’s career follows a familiar trajectory for senior figures tied to the IRGC. He fought in the 1980s war with Iraq, later served as head of the Guard’s joint staff, and then spent eight years as deputy commander-in-chief. His move into government came in 2005, when he was appointed deputy interior minister for security under President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad — a step widely seen at the time as extending the IRGC’s reach into civilian institutions.

More recently, he has held the role of secretary of the Expediency Council, a body that mediates between different branches of power and advises the supreme leader.

Taken together, the appointment signals continuity rather than disruption. In a moment of instability, Tehran appears to be leaning further into figures with military credentials and institutional loyalty.

That shift comes against a backdrop of growing uncertainty at the top of Iran’s political system. Mojtaba Khamenei has not appeared publicly since taking over from his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, earlier this month, adding to questions about how decisions are being made during the conflict.

Larijani’s killing — one of the most prominent political figures to die in the current escalation — marked a turning point. It came during a week of intensifying attacks that have spread across the region and sent shockwaves through global energy markets.

Despite intermittent signals about possible negotiations, the war shows little sign of easing. US President Donald Trump has said talks are under way, while Iranian officials have pushed back.

Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said “no negotiations” were under way, accusing Trump of seeking “to manipulate the financial and oil markets”.