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Zolghadr was named secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council after Larijani was killed.
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A hardline former deputy commander of the IRGC, he entered politics in 2005, when then-President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad named him deputy interior minister.
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While Larijani had decades of experience as a political insider — with ties to both moderate and more hardline figures — and served as Iran’s chief negotiator in nuclear talks with the West, Zolghadr is a military man through and through.
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He previously served as chief of the IRGC’s joint staff and as commander of its Ramadan Headquarters — a unit within the elite Qods Force which used unconventional military tactics when fighting the Iran-Iraq war.
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Mohsen Rezaee
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Position: Military Adviser
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Political Leaning: Conservative
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The new supreme leader’s first personnel decision was to appoint Rezaee as his military adviser. Sanctioned by the US, Rezaee led the IRGC’s intelligence unit after the 1979 revolution and rose through its ranks during the grueling Iran-Iraq war that followed to become commander of the entire force.
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He later moved into politics, running unsuccessfully for president several times and joining the Expediency Discernment Council that advises the supreme leader.
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Rezaee is wanted by Interpol for his alleged participation in the bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires in 1994.
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Masoud Pezeshkian
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Position: President
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Political Leaning: Reformer
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The formal role of the president is largely confined to domestic economic policy. Pezeshkian also sat on the three-person interim council that ruled until the selection of the new supreme leader.
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A reformist, Pezeshkian was elected in 2024 after the death of hardline President Ebrahim Raisi.
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After the recent protests, he encouraged the late Khamenei to address public grievances, to no avail — a sign of his limited influence.
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Abbas Araghchi
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Position: Foreign Minister
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Political Leaning: Moderate technocrat
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A respected and experienced career diplomat — both inside and outside the country — Araghchi is considered a pragmatic technocrat.
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He’s worked for different administrations, pushed for talks with the US and led nuclear negotiations, while cautioning in the latest round that Iran was prepared for war if necessary.
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He’s also a former IRGC member and a staunch supporter of the Islamic Republic’s core policies.
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Ahmad Vahidi
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Position: Commander of the IRGC
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Political Leaning: Conservative
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A veteran of the Guards, Vahidi previously served as interior and defense minister. Like Rezaee, he’s also under an Interpol red notice for his alleged participation in the Buenos Aires bombing.
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The US has sanctioned him for his role overseeing the suppression of protests in Iran in 2022.
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He was promoted from deputy commander after his predecessor Mohammad Pakpour was killed at the start the war.
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Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi
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Position: Commander of Joint Military HQ
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Political Leaning: Conservative
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Aliabadi is a longtime IRGC member who now leads Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, which oversees operations by both the guards – formally tasked with protecting the revolution – and the conventional army. His last two predecessors were killed in the 12-day war.
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The joint HQ has played a key role in Iran’s messaging during the current war, issuing threats to target US naval escorts in the Strait of Hormuz and announcing attacks on oil tankers.
English (US)