Iran appoints Mohsen Rezaei as new head of Supreme National Security Council amid US war.

Iran appointed Mohsen Rezaei as secretary of its Supreme National Security Council on Monday, Aug. 10. Rezaei, 71, had led the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for 16 years, starting as its commander in 1981 at age 27. During his tenure he oversaw the expansion of the IRGC’s ground, naval and air forces while the country fought the Iran‑Iraq war. He replaces Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr as second‑in‑command of the Council, which coordinates Iran’s security and foreign policy. The Council is chaired by President Masoud Pezeshkian. Zolqadr was appointed political adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei. Rezaei holds a doctorate in economics from the University of Tehran and served as vice‑president for economic affairs from 2021 to 2023 under former president Ebrahim Raisi. He has made frequent public statements during the conflict with the United States, voicing scepticism about negotiations and threatening the U.S. Khamenei issued a decree appointing Rezaei as his representative on the Council, citing Rezaei’s valuable experience and long military career. Rezaei was active in anti‑monarchy opposition in the 1970s, was imprisoned by SAVAK in 1973, and helped form the Mansouroun militant group. Critics question his wartime record, noting costly offensives such as Operation Karbala‑4. In 2018 he tweeted that Karbala‑4 had been a deception ahead of Karbala‑5, a comment that later drew criticism from veterans and family members.