Mohsen Rezaei, the former commander-in-chief of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), has been appointed secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, placing one of the country's most prominent military figures at the centre of its security and foreign-policy decision-making.
According to Al-Jazeera, the 71-year-old veteran takes charge of the council as Iran faces an ongoing conflict with the US and Israel, while negotiations over the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz remain unsettled.
Rezaei headed the IRGC from 1981 to 1997, including during the Iran-Iraq War, known in Iran as the "Sacred Defence". He later served on the Expediency Discernment Council, a body that resolves legislative disputes between parliament and the Guardian Council.
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His appointment was announced by President Masoud Pezeshkian's communications office on Sunday, according to Al Jazeera Arabic. On the same day, Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei appointed Rezaei as his representative on the Supreme National Security Council.
Khamenei's decree specifically highlighted Rezaei's experience and described him as among the pioneers of the Sacred Defence era, underlining the significance of his military background.
The Supreme National Security Council brings together the presidency, foreign ministry, armed forces and security agencies on major strategic issues. Its secretary therefore plays a critical coordinating role, particularly during war and diplomatic crises.
Rezaei is also a vocal advocate of Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of global oil and gas supplies pass. In July, he said control of the waterway was worth more than dozens of atomic bombs. Last week, he warned that the US would face serious risks and casualties if its blockade of Iranian ports continued.
Abas Aslani, a senior research fellow at Tehran-based Center for Middle East Strategic Studies, told Al Jazeera that Rezaei brings military, political and economic experience to the post.
"They needed to have someone who can somehow synchronise different bodies of the government," Aslani said.
"Politically, he is not that much different from his predecessor on security, but the role he can play domestically, and being a balancing act in the country, is quite significant in this regard," he added.
Aslani said Rezaei could also play an important role in negotiations with Washington.
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Rezaei's political positioning adds another layer to his appointment. During the 2024 presidential election, he backed Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, placing him closer electorally to the conservative camp associated with the current parliament speaker than to the more hardline faction led by Saeed Jalili.
Iranian journalist and political analyst Mashallah Shamsolvaezin told Al Jazeera Arabic that Rezaei's military record could give the council greater credibility among hardline constituencies.
With negotiations facing criticism from hardline forces, Shamsolvaezin argued that it would be difficult for opponents to accuse a former IRGC commander of compromising Iran's security interests.
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