Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (L), Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian (C) and Expediency Discernment Council member Mohsen Rezaei (R) attend a state ceremony for former Iranian leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in attacks launched by the US and Israel on February 28, at Imam Khomeini Musalla Mosque in Tehran, Iran, on July 3, 2026. [Iranian Presidency – Anadolu Agency]
Iran has appointed veteran Revolutionary Guards commander Mohsen Rezaei as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), replacing Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr at a critical stage in negotiations over reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian state media announced the change late on Sunday. Rezaei, who also serves as an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, will become Khamenei’s representative on the council. Zolghadr, meanwhile, will take up a new position as political adviser to the supreme leader. An air strike killed Zolghadr’s predecessor, Ali Larijani, in March.
The reshuffle comes as Tehran and Muscat seek to finalise an arrangement governing maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Any agreement to reopen the waterway requires approval from both the security council and Khamenei.
