After the death of Ali Larijani in an Israeli strike on March 17, Iran has appointed Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr as the new secretary for the Supreme National Security Council on Tuesday.
Born in 1954, Zolghadr is a retired brigadier general of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and has served as Secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council since September 2021.
A veteran of the Iraq-Iran war, Zolghadr co-founded and commanded the Ramazan Garrison in 1983 and rose up the IRGC ranks post-war, heading its Joint Staff from 1989 to 1997 and serving as deputy commander-in-chief from 1997 to 2005.
Additionally, the new security council secretary has also held political roles and was the Deputy Interior Minister for Security Affairs from 2005 to 2007.
Ali Larijani Demise
Zolghadr's will replace Ali Larijani, who was killed last week in an Israeli strike. Larijani, 67, was believed to be temporarily leading the Islamic Republic after the killing of its supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US and Israel strikes weeks ago.
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Meanwhile, Iranian army chief Amir Hatami had warned of "decisive" retaliation for the killing of security chief Ali Larijani in an Israeli air strike.
Middle East On The Boil
The Middle East has been on the boil ever since the US and Israel launched joint air strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, escalating conflict in the region.
Gulf countries, such as the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait, have found themselves in the thick of the cross fire. The war has resulted in loss of civilian lives in most of these countries.
On Monday, President Donald Trump announced a five-day pause on strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure and power plants. However, Iranian media reported on early Tuesday that energy-related facilities in central and southwestern Iran were struck, hours after Trump's announcement.
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