Shafaq News- Tehran

Iran on Tuesday appointed Mohammad Bagher Zolqadr as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, the presidency said, replacing Ali Larijani, who was killed in an Israeli strike.

Zolqadr is a former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander who also served as deputy chief of staff for Basij affairs, deputy for strategic affairs in the judiciary between 2012 and 2020, adviser to the judiciary chief, and secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council.

He also held senior roles in the IRGC and later served as deputy interior minister for security under former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad before being dismissed in 2007. Zolqadr is widely viewed as a hardline figure and a strong opponent of Iran’s reformist camp.