Ayatollah Khamenei Appoints New Representatives to Security, Defense Councils

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei appointed Ali Larijani as his representative to the Supreme National Security Council and named two former officials to the newly formed Defense Council.

News ID: ۲۰۰۱۷۰۵

07 August 2025

In an official decree issued on Thursday, Ayatollah Khamenei designated Larijani, the newly appointed secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), as his representative to the high-level security body.

The appointment follows Larijani’s recent selection by President Masoud Pezeshkian to lead the SNSC.

Ayatollah Khamenei also thanked Ali Akbar Ahmadian for his “successful efforts” during his term as SNSC secretary, a position he held since 2023.

In a separate decree, the Leader named Ahmadian and Ali Shamkhani—both former heads of the SNSC—as his representatives to the newly established Defense Council.

The Defense Council, approved and formed by state decree, is tasked with shaping defense strategies and boosting the Armed Forces’ capabilities.

Pezeshkian will oversee the council.

The restructuring of Iran’s security leadership comes amid heightened regional tensions, less than two months after coordinated attacks by the Israeli regime and the United States targeted Iran.

Shamkhani was seriously injured in a June 13 strike on his residence during the early phase of the aggression, which claimed the lives of several Iranian military commanders and nuclear scientists as well as innocent civilians./tasnim