Iran Appoints Ali Larijani Head of Supreme National Security Council

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has appointed Ali Larijani, a senior adviser to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and a veteran politician, as the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC). Larijani, a pragmatic conservative and former Revolutionary Guards member, previously held the SNSC secretary position from 2005 to 2007 and served as parliamentary speaker from 2008 to 2020. This appointment follows a 12-day air war with Israel in June, considered Iran's most severe security challenge since the 1980s, prompting institutional changes including the revival of an Iraq war-era Defense Council to centralize defense planning and enhance military capabilities. Ali Larijani replaces Ali Akbar Ahmadian, who became SNSC secretary in 2023 and is expected to take on other strategic roles. The Larijani family has historically held multiple key political positions in Iran, though Ali Larijani was disqualified from presidential bids in 2021 and 2024 despite running again recently after President Ebrahim Raisi's death. Both the Defense Council and SNSC are headed by the president, underscoring the centralization of Iran's security apparatus amid ongoing regional tensions.