Iran names Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr as top security chief

ISTANBUL

Iran appointed Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, succeeding Ali Larijani who was killed in an Israeli-US attack, the presidential office said Tuesday.

A former commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Zolghadr previously served as secretary of Iran’s Expediency Discernment Council. He also served in multiple positions, including deputy interior minister, and assistant to the judiciary chief for strategic affairs.

Zolghadr succeeded Larijani, who was killed in a US-Israeli airstrike in Tehran on March 17.
The US and Israel have maintained airstrikes on Iran since Feb. 28, killing so far over 1,340 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Tehran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, along with Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries hosting US military assets, causing casualties and damage to infrastructure while disrupting global markets and aviation.