Meet Bagher Zolghadr, a hard-line IRGC veteran now Iran's security chief
Zolghardr's appointment suggests a push to strengthen the group’s influence over national security and the war effort.
TEHRAN — Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, a veteran IRGC commander, has succeeded Ali Larijani as secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), placing an anti-West hard-liner at the center of the country’s wartime security apparatus.
His appointment was announced by state media, which said Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei had approved the move. Zolghadr is a staunch IRGC loyalist with little diplomatic experience, and his rise reflects the growing influence of the force — originally tasked with safeguarding the Islamic Revolution — as it gains leverage amid the war.
Who is Bagher Zolghadr?
Zolghadr’s career has been deeply rooted in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. He has served as deputy commander in chief, chief of the joint staff and commander of the Basij paramilitary forces.
