Iran's new Security Council shake-up reveals growing divisions over US deal

Iran's new Security Council shake-up has exposed escalating disagreements over the recently concluded US deal. Following Iranian negotiators signing a Memorandum of Understanding with Washington in late June to halt months of tensions, Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) released a statement endorsing the agreement. This announcement was made by Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, a former hardline Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) general who replaced the late, moderate figure Ali Larijani. Larijani had advocated for the deal and was tragically killed in a US-Israeli strike on March 17.

While the SNSC secretary does not possess voting power within the council, Zolghadr's appointment as the supreme leader’s representative on the council does grant him the authority to vote. The endorsement of the agreement by Zolghadr caught ultraconservative principlists off guard, as they had not anticipated his support. In response, they launched repeated verbal attacks against him, spreading unfounded claims such as his son residing in Austria.