TEHRAN – In a move to recalibrate Iran’s national security architecture, President Masuud Pezeshkian appointed veteran politician Ali Larijani as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) on Tuesday.
The decision comes in the aftermath of US-Israel’s 12-day war with Iran in June, marking Larijani’s return to the post he held earlier from 2005 to 2007.
President Pezeshkian’s order, summoning Article 176 of the Iranian constitution, appointed “surveillance of the issue, particularly national security risks, particularly emerging technical threats), to protect the Islamic revolution, national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The President declared, “All matters relating to national security must be considered and decided solely through the SNSC Secretariat,” emphasizing intensive decision-making. The order also recognized Ali Akbar Ahmadian’s “Good Service” Director General.
An unverified report from Tasnim News Agency suggests that Larijani could soon replace Ahmadian as the second representative of Ayatollah Khamenei’s social media company. Tasnim also claims that the Ahmadian will lead the “new special deputy” in President Pezeshkian’s administration.
The appointment of Larijani coincides with the establishment of a new wartime-centric defense council, approved by the SNSC and approved by the leaders of the Islamic Revolution.
Following the recent US-Israel campaign of attacks targeting Iran’s nuclear and civilian infrastructure, the agency will focus military commands and strengthen combat readiness. Unlike the broader social networking services that deal with political and strategic issues, the Defense Council specializes in “defending potential wars and national sovereignty.”
Veteran politicians and security technocrats
At age 68, Larijani represents a fusion of unwavering commitment and practical three-dimensional technology. He comes from a prominent political and religious family. His brother, Ayatollah Sadek Amori Larijani, chaired the Council for the Comfort Identification since 2018 and previously served as Iran’s Supreme Court from 2009 to 2019.
The former Islamic Revolution was the Security Guard (IRGC) Commander (1988–1991), and the newly appointed SNSC Secretary advised Minister of Culture (1991–1992), Director of National Radio and Television (1992–2004) (1992–2004), Speaker of the Parliament (2008–2020), and most clearly, Ayatollah Khamenei.
His reappointment draws on his previous social media tenure, particularly deep institutional memory, during Iran’s early nuclear negotiations, which advocated stiffness against the West before recognizing diplomatic realities.
During and after the 12-day war with Iran, Larijani stood as an important public voice. He uncovered the Israeli regime’s plot to “defeat the Islamic Republic within six days,” and Mossad agents pose a personal threat.
He believes Iran has reversed the property on the battlefield with “national resolve” and missile capabilities, and points out that Israeli forces had fallen into chaos by the sixth day of the conflict.
Larijani’s recent diplomatic mission highlights his strategic role. On July 30, he met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow and as an envoy for Ayatollah Khamenei, he discussed tensions and nuclear agendas in West Asia just days after US and Israeli strikes hit Iran’s civilian nuclear sites and killed more than 1,000 people.