ISLAMABAD: Iran has appointed former military commander Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr as the new secretary of its Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), following the killing of his predecessor in recent strikes.
The appointment was announced on Tuesday by the Iranian president’s office, with Deputy for Communications Seyyed Mehdi Tabatabai confirming in a post on X that Zolqadr had been named to the position by presidential decree.
Seyyed Mohammad Mehdi Tabatabai, Deputy for Communications and Information of the President's Office: Upon President @drpezeshkian order, Major General Seyyed Majid Ebn al-Reza has been appointed as the Acting Minister of Defense.
— IRNA News Agency ☫ (@IrnaEnglish) March 2, 2026
Iranian state media outlet Press TV also reported the development, describing it as a key security appointment made with the backing of the country’s supreme leadership.
Zolqadr replaces Ali Larijani, who was killed last week in US-Israeli strikes. Larijani had served as SNSC secretary since August 2025.
The leadership change comes as the Iran war now enters its fifth week, with heightened tensions involving the United States and Israel.
The SNSC is one of Iran’s most influential decision-making bodies.
It is formally chaired by President Masoud Pezeshkian but includes senior military, intelligence and government officials, along with representatives of the supreme leader, who holds ultimate authority over state affairs.
The council coordinates national security and foreign policy decisions.
Zolqadr is a long-time figure in Iran’s security apparatus and a former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
He has held several senior roles, including deputy at the armed forces’ general staff and deputy for security at the interior ministry.
He also served as an adviser to the judiciary chief on crime prevention and, since 2022, as secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council, a body that mediates disputes between parliament and the Guardian Council.
According to Iranian reports, Zolqadr studied economics and public administration at Tehran University before the 1979 Islamic Revolution and later earned a doctorate in strategic management from the National Defence University.
His military career includes senior leadership positions. He served as head of the IRGC Joint Staff during the presidency of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and later as deputy commander-in-chief of the IRGC.
