Mohsen Rezaei: the unlikely peacemaker
Mohsen Rezaei: the unlikely peacemaker newspress_en Mon, 11/09/2026 - 03:55 Profiles After decades of political setbacks, Iran’s former Revolutionary Guards commander has returned to the centre of power. Is he an incidental beneficiary of war, or have observers underestimated him all along? In 1981, a 27-year-old revolutionary named Mohsen Rezaei was appointed commander of Iran’s Islamic…
Mohsen Rezaei, a former commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), has made a remarkable political comeback after decades of setbacks. In 1981, at the age of 27, Rezaei was appointed by Ayatollah Khomeini's son Ahmad, despite initial opposition. Forty-five years later, Rezaei, now 72, is the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, the body responsible for coordinating national security.
US Vice President JD Vance has directly addressed Rezaei in a letter, seeking renewed negotiations, and intelligence officials regard him as the best candidate to deliver an Iranian agreement. Despite facing political reversals, military controversies, and changes of leadership, Rezaei has survived and returned to the center of Iranian power.
His journey from a poor provincial boy who attended night school as a child to a key figure in Iranian politics highlights the importance of relationships and influence over public legitimacy in today's Islamic Republic.
Written by urgent.news from Al Majalla English's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
