TEHRAN – Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) and First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref have issued separate messages congratulating Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr on his appointment as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council.

In a statement, the IRGC’s public relations office said: “We congratulate you on this well-deserved appointment and ask God to grant you success in shouldering this weighty responsibility during these critical times, so that you may play a role worthy of this extraordinary nation.”

First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref also congratulated Zolqadr in a separate message, acknowledging the country’s "delicate circumstances" and the complexity of "hybrid threats and cognitive warfare." He described the role of the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council as strategic and decisive, and emphasized the need to strengthen national cohesion and adopt a "proactive approach" to safeguarding the country’s security.

Zolqadr replaces Ali Larijani, who was assassinated in a U.S.-Israeli strike on his office on March 16. 

Zolqadr is an IRGC veteran with decades of experience across Iran’s military, security, and judicial institutions. Most recently, he served as secretary of the Expediency Council, a powerful administrative and advisory body that settles disputes between other Iranian government bodies.