For years, Mohsen Rezaei attempted to reach the highest halls of executive power in the Islamic Republic via the ballot box. He ran for president several times, withdrew once before voting, and failed to secure sufficient votes whenever he stayed in the race. However, the closing of the doors to Pastour never meant the closure of other corridors of power to the former Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). From the Expediency Discernment Council to various councils and appointed positions, a seat was always found for "Haj Mohsen." Now, the third Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic has dispatched him as his representative to the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), a position that, if completed by presidential decree appointing him as Council Secretary, will place Rezaei in the highest executive position of his political career during wartime. The man whom voters repeatedly refused to entrust with the key to the executive branch may finally reach one of the country's most sensitive decision-making chambers without needing their votes.
The Forever-Victorious Commander Whose Victory Cry Has Yet to Sound
Mohsen Rezaei, commander of the IRGC during the Iran-Iraq War, donned his IRGC uniform and spoke from that authority whenever deemed necessary. Having served as Commander-in-Chief of the IRGC from 1981 through most of the Iran-Iraq War at the highest level of military command, he returned to the IRGC in 2015 to "formulate macro-economic policies for the country," a background that one would expect to be backed by more than just the bravado of a television pundit.
