Major General Mohsen Rezaei was appointed secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) by President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday, replacing Mohammad Bagher Zolqadr who had served since March 2026. The decree, issued by Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, cited Rezaei’s extensive experience, notably his command of the IRGC during the eight‑year Sacred Defense of the 1980s.

Rezaei’s career began as an underground activist in 1971, when he was arrested by SAVAK and spent six months in prison. He joined the newly formed IRGC in 1979, became its first intelligence commander, and at 27 was appointed commander‑in‑chief in 1981. Under his leadership the IRGC launched operations such asיות Samen‑ol‑Aemeh and Beit‑ol‑Moqaddas, liberating key territories from Iraqi forces.

After the war, Rezaei earned a Ph.D. in economics and served as secretary of the Expediency Council for over two decades. He later became Vice‑President for Economic Affairs under President Ebrahim Raisi and was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury in 2020. He holds three Gold Fat’h Medals, the highest military decoration in Iran.

Rezaei’s return to the SNSC marks a significant consolidation of his influence over Iran’s security policy, reflecting his long‑standing role in shaping the country’s military and political institutions.