Sardar
Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr
محمدباقر ذوالقدر
Zolghadr in 2013
Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council
Incumbent
Assumed office
24 March 2026
Appointed by Masoud Pezeshkian
Preceded by Ali Larijani
Member of Expediency Discernment Council
Incumbent
Assumed office
20 September 2022
Appointed by Ali Khamenei
Chairman Sadeq Larijani
Secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council
Incumbent
Assumed office
19 September 2021
Appointed by Sadeq Larijani
Chairman Sadeq Larijani
Preceded by Mohsen Rezaee
Personal details
Born c. 1954 or 1955 (age 70–71)[1]
Fasa, Iran
Relations Kazem Gharibabadi (son-in-law)
Alma mater University of Tehran (BEc)
Military service
Allegiance Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
Years of service 1979–2010
Rank Brigadier general
Commands Joint Staff
Battles/wars Iran–Iraq War
2026 Iran War

Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr (Persian: محمدباقر ذوالقدر) is an Iranian retired military commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) who currently serves as Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council.

He was formerly the deputy for strategic, societal–security and crime prevention affairs in the judicial system of Iran.[2] He is also a former Deputy Interior Minister for Security Affairs under Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,[3] and he helped Ahmadinejad come to power with a "multilayered plan."[4] In March 2026, he was appointed Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, succeeding Ali Larijani.[5][6] He was reportedly appointed as the head of the Supreme National Security Council under pressure from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.[7]

Before the 1979 revolution, Zolghard was active in carrying out attacks against the monarchy. He is known for his hard-line views, and he stated on 24 March 2026 that the IRGC should gain more control over the country.[4] The Economist described him as an "IRGC apparatchik".[8]

Early life and education

Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr was born in 1954 in Fasa, near Shiraz, Iran. He pursued higher education at the University of Tehran, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in economics from the Faculty of Economics prior to the 1979 Islamic revolution. Before the revolution, he was associated with the Mansourun guerrilla group, an Islamist militant organization active at the time. Some sources have alleged that in 1978 he, along with Mohsen Rezaei, was involved in the killing of an American engineer and an oil company manager.[9]

Military career

In the early 1980s, Zolghadr co-headed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' educational division.[10] He later served as the commander of IRGC Irregular Warfare Headquarters, as well as Ramazan Headquarters.[2] Zolghadr served as the deputy commander of the IRGC.[3] In 2007, Zolghadr was appointed the deputy chief of general staff of Iranian Armed Forces for Basij-related affairs.[11]

Political activity

Following the Iranian Revolution, Zolghadr joined the Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization and belonged to its right-wing faction,[12] having previously been a member of Mansouroun guerrilla organization along with later fellow IRGC servicemen Rezaei, Shamkhani and Rashid.[13] He is reportedly "one of the founders" of Ansar-e Hezbollah.[3]

Judicial career

Zolghadr was appointed the deputy Judiciary chief for strategic affairs on 14 May 2012,[14] having previously served as the advisor to the Chief Justice Sadeq Larijani since 2010.[15]

Personal life

Zolghadr is married to Sedigheh Begum Hejazi, who has served as Director-General of the Office of Women and Family Affairs at the Organization of Islamic Culture and Communication. His son-in-law, Kazem Gharibabadi, is an Iranian diplomat who has represented Iran in Vienna at international organizations, including the International Atomic Energy Agency.[9]

Published works

Zolghadr authored Qesse-ye Ghorbat-e Gharbi (Persian: قصه‌ی غربت غربی; English: The Tale of Western Estrangement), published in 1381 (2002–2003) in Iran by Dowrye Aliye Jang. The work, written in Persian, is a short volume (38 pages) that engages with themes related to Western society and culture, framed through a critical and ideological lens.[16]

References

  1. ^ "Revolutionary Guardsman Wins Top Iran Security Post", Agence France Presse, 1 December 2005, retrieved 1 March 2017 – via Arab News
  2. ^ a b Ali Alfoneh (29 March 2012). "Generational change in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps Quds Force: Brigadier General Iraj Masjedi". Middle Eastern Outlook. Retrieved 11 June 2017 – via American Enterprise Institute.
  3. ^ a b c Frederic Wehrey; Jerrold D Green; Brian Nichiporuk; Alireza Nader; Lydia Hansell (31 December 2008). The Rise of the Pasdaran: Assessing the Domestic Roles of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. Rand Corporation. p. 104. ISBN 978-0-8330-4680-2. Archived from the original on August 6, 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
  4. ^ a b Torbati, Yeganeh (2026-03-24). "Iran's New Security Chief Is a Hard-Line Former Guards Commander". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-03-25.
  5. ^ "Iran names hardline ex-Revolutionary Guards commander to replace slain security chief". Reuters. 24 March 2026.
  6. ^ "Zolghadr appointed Iran's security chief". Mehr News Agency. 24 March 2026.
  7. ^ "IRGC pressured Pezeshkian to appoint Zolghadr as security chief". Iran International. 2026-03-25. Retrieved 2026-03-26.
  8. ^ "The Revolutionary Guards are taking over Iran". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 2026-03-26.
  9. ^ a b Khansari, Mohammad Sadat (2021-09-23). "Who Is Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, Iran's New Secretary of the Expediency Council?". NCRI. Archived from the original on 2026-03-24.
  10. ^ Saeed Aganji (24 February 2015), "IRGC to reopen its own high schools", Al-Monitor, retrieved 1 March 2017
  11. ^ "Leader Appoints Deputy Chief of General Staff of Iranian Armed Forces for Basij-Related Affairs". Khamenei.ir. 11 December 2007. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  12. ^ Muhammad Sahimi (12 May 2009). "The Political Groups". Tehran Bureau. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  13. ^ Alfoneh, Ali (2013), Iran Unveiled: How the Revolutionary Guards Is Transforming Iran from Theocracy into Military Dictatorship, AEI Press, pp. 8–10
  14. ^ "Iranian judiciary chief appoints new Judicial officials", Mehr News Agency, 14 May 2012, retrieved 1 March 2017 – via OANA
  15. ^ Massoumeh Torfeh (8 January 2010), "Iran's judiciary takes a military colour", Guardian, retrieved 1 March 2017
  16. ^ ذوالقدر، محمدباقر. "قصه‌ی غربت غربی". Ketab.com (in Persian). دورهٔ عالی جنگ. ISBN 964-5935-52-0. Retrieved 24 March 2026.


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