BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 24. Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr has been appointed Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Trend reports, citing the Deputy Information Officer of the President's Office
The appointment was made by presidential decree with the opinion and approval of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution.
Zolghadr has held a number of senior positions over the course of his career. Following the Iran-Iraq war, he served for eight years as Chief of the Joint Staff (1989–1997), and later spent another eight years as Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) from 1997 to 2005.
In addition, Zolghadr has served as Deputy Minister of the Interior and held roles within Iran’s judiciary, including at the Supreme Court level. Since 2021, he has been serving as Secretary of the Expediency Council.
Since no concrete agreement was reached in negotiations between the United States and Iran over the nuclear program, the U.S. and Israel began military airstrikes against Iran on February 28. In response, Iran launched missile and drone attacks on Israel and U.S. military facilities located in countries across the region, starting the same day.
On the first day of the air strikes against Iran, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and several high-ranking military officials were killed. On March 8, Iran’s Assembly of Experts elected Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran’s third Supreme Leader by majority vote.
From March 1 through March 5, the confrontation expanded further, affecting several countries across the Middle East.
The ongoing conflict has significantly threatened the region’s energy infrastructure and maritime transport. Oil prices have surged on global markets due to heightened security tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, prompting several countries to advise their citizens to leave the region.