Iran appoints Bagher Zolghadr as security council chief, succeeding Larijani: State TV
AFP , Tuesday 24 Mar 2026
Iran named on Tuesday a former Revolutionary Guards commander, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, as the new chief of the Supreme National Security Council to replace his slain predecessor, Ali Larijani, state television said.
Iran's Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr. Courtesy Iranian media
Larijani, a powerful figure in the Islamic Republic, was assassinated by Israel last week.
He was killed on March 17 in an Israeli strike, reportedly in the Tehran region, which also killed family members.
The killing of Larijani, a non-cleric but a pillar of the system for decades, was likely the biggest loss to the Islamic Republic after the US-Israeli assassination of Ali Khamenei.
The week before, he had defiantly walked in public in Tehran at a pro-government rally.
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