Iran names ex-IRGC commander to succeed Larijani as security chief

Iranian mourners gather for the funeral of Iran's security chief Ali Larijani and Gholamreza Soleimani, a senior officer in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, in Tehran, on March 18, 2026. ATTA KENARE / AFP

Iran named a former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander to succeed Ali Larijani as head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council on Tuesday, March 24, after the veteran regime insider was killed in an Israeli strike.

Larijani was killed in an Israeli strike last week, ending the life of one of the most heavyweight non-clerical figures in Iranian politics, who had been seen as a possible pointman in any eventual talks with the United States.

Subscribers only

Assassination of security chief Larijani strips Iran of key power broker