The veteran IRGC commander who’s now Iran’s top security official
Iran’s new national security chief is a military veteran and prominent regime figure who has voiced skepticism of negotiations with the United States. Mohsen Rezaei, 71, has been named secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, replacing Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, who had only been appointed in March. Rezaei was already part of Supreme Leader Ayatollah … The post The veteran IRGC…
Mohsen Rezaei, a 71-year-old veteran of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), has been appointed as the country's new national security chief. This promotion comes after Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr assumed the role in March. Rezaei, a long-time member of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei's inner circle, now serves as the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, a position previously held by Zolghadr.
Vali Nasr, an Iranian-American academic, suggests that this appointment signals an increase in control by Khamenei over the IRGC and decision-making ahead of any potential US deal. Rezaei, who has been deeply involved in Iran's political, security, and military affairs for over five decades, previously served as commander-in-chief of the IRGC during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s.
He has advocated for ongoing regional conflicts and with the United States. Rezaei has also expressed skepticism towards negotiations with the US, calling them "over," and has described Trump as lacking wisdom and prudence. If US sanctions on Iranian ports persist, Rezaei warned, American forces in the region could face severe risks and casualties, as Iran has sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.
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