Among the most significant appointments is Mohsen Rezaei, the former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps during the Iran-Iraq war, who has been named head of the Supreme National Security Council.
“I would characterise this first and foremost as Mojtaba Khamenei putting his stamp on the national security structure of Iran,” Sina Toossi of the Center for International Policy told The New York Times.
It is a more aggressive posture than that associated with his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the opening US-Israeli strikes on February 28.
“Mojtaba may be willing to take risks in confronting the United States that even his father avoided in his final years,” Memarian said.
Stephen has spent most of his career in journalism, working behind the scenes — shaping headlines, editing copy and putting together newspaper pages with precision.
Khamenei has installed a string of veteran military and security hardliners in some of Iran’s most powerful positions, reshaping the leadership at a moment when diplomacy with Washington has stalled and another round of fighting could erupt with little warning.
Among the most significant appointments is Mohsen Rezaei, the former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps during the Iran-Iraq war, who has been named head of the Supreme National Security Council.
Khamenei has also installed a new armed forces general staff, a new IRGC chief and a new commander of the Guards’ naval forces — a particularly sensitive position now that control of Hormuz has become Tehran’s most potent bargaining chip against Washington.
“I would characterise this first and foremost as Mojtaba Khamenei putting his stamp on the national security structure of Iran,” Sina Toossi of the Center for International Policy told The New York Times.
Several of the new security figures have supported returning to the June memorandum of understanding with Washington — but only under Tehran’s interpretation of its terms.
It is a more aggressive posture than that associated with his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the opening US-Israeli strikes on February 28.
“Mojtaba may be willing to take risks in confronting the United States that even his father avoided in his final years,” Memarian said.
A Senior Associate Editor with more than 30 years in the media, Stephen N.R. curates, edits and publishes impactful stories for Gulf News — both in print and online — focusing on Middle East politics, student issues and explainers on global topics. Stephen has spent most of his career in journalism, working behind the scenes — shaping headlines, editing copy and putting together newspaper pages with precision. For the past many years, he has brought that same dedication to the Gulf News digital team, where he curates stories, crafts explainers and helps keep both the web and print editions sharp and engaging.
