Mohammad-Bagher Zolghadr has become the new Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, replacing Ali Larijani, who tragically died on March 17 as a result of an Israeli strike on Tehran, as reported by Mohammad-Mehdi Tabatabai, Deputy Head of the Iranian Presidential Administration for Public Relations.
Recently, Iranian media claimed that the position of Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council would be taken by former Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan; however, this information was later denied by his entourage.
Zolghadr, who served as Deputy Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the 1990s and early 2000s, is considered one of the founders of the "Ramazan Garrison," which later became the basis for the special forces "Quds." Additionally, his name is associated with the creation of the paramilitary organization "Ansar-e Hezbollah."
Since September 2021, he has served as Secretary of the Expediency Council—a consultative body under the Supreme Leader of Iran that resolves disputes between the parliament and the Guardian Council. During Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidency (2005−2007), Zolghadr held the position of Deputy Minister of Interior for Security Affairs.
Since the beginning of the military operation against Iran, which started on February 28, the U.S. and Israel have carried out strikes that resulted in the deaths of high-ranking officials, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. According to the Tasnim agency, along with Larijani, his son and the head of the secretary's security service were also killed. Iranian President Masoud Pazeshkian promised to avenge the death of the high-ranking official.
