Zolkar Del succeeded as the Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council. Who is he?

Ask AI · Why did the assassination of Ali Larijani lead to Zolqadr taking over?

According to Iran’s Tasnim News Agency, on March 24, the deputy communications director of the Office of the President, Mohammad Tabatabaei, announced that, with the approval of the Supreme Leader and in accordance with a presidential order, Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr was officially appointed as Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, replacing Ali Larijani.

This post was previously held by Ali Larijani, who was assassinated by Israel on March 17.

 

 Zolqadr image courtesy of Tasnim News Agency 

 Zolqadr is a veteran of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, “with decades of work experience in military, security, and judicial institutions,” and has close ties to the Larijani family.

 According to the report, Zolqadr graduated from the University of Tehran and successively obtained a bachelor’s degree in economics and a master’s degree in public administration. Not long after the 1979 Revolution, Zolqadr joined the Revolutionary Guard Corps and was deeply involved in the Iran–Iraq War. He served as the commander of the Ramadhan base. After the war, during the term of Iran’s former president Rafsanjani, Zolqadr served for eight years as Joint Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Guard Corps.

 In 1997, he was promoted to Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Revolutionary Guard Corps, a term that lasted until 2005. After that, Zolqadr transitioned into the Iranian government and served as Deputy Minister of Interior in charge of security affairs in the Nejad government from 2005 to 2007. After falling out with Nejad, Zolqadr returned to the army and became Deputy Chief of Staff responsible for Basij affairs at the General Staff of the Armed Forces.

 During this period, in 2007, Zolqadr was listed on the sanctions list of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1747 due to his role as a key figure in the Revolutionary Guard Corps.

 In 2012, Zolqadr moved into the judicial system to serve as Deputy Head for Strategic Affairs of the judicial system. At that time, the person who appointed him was the then head of the judiciary, Sadiq Larijani, the younger brother of Ali Larijani.

 Later, again on the advice of Sadiq Larijani, Zolqadr has served as Secretary of the Expediency Council for the purpose of determining national interests since September 19, 2021.

 The Expediency Council for the purpose of determining national interests is directly responsible to Iran’s Supreme Leader. Its core function is to resolve disputes or conflicts between the parliament and the Guardian Council. Laws passed by the parliament must undergo review by the Guardian Council. However, if the Guardian Council rejects them and the parliament insists on keeping them unchanged, the two sides would fall into a stalemate. In that case, the Expediency Council for the purpose of determining national interests may step in and issue a ruling.

 Members of the Expediency Council for the purpose of determining national interests are typically appointed directly by the Supreme Leader. Therefore, it is widely believed that this council is also considered the Supreme Leader’s “advisory team.”

**This article is an Observer.com exclusive. Without authorization, it may not be republished.**