Wikipedia

Supreme National Security Council

The Supreme National Security Council (SNSC; Persian: شورای عالی امنیت ملی, romanized: Showrā-ye Āli-ye Amniyat-e Mellī), also known as the Supreme Council for National Security, is the national security council of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The council was formed for the protection and support of national interests and Islamic revolution and territorial integrity and national sovereignty of the country. This institution was founded during the 1989 revision of the constitution.[3]

Supreme National Security Council

شورای عالی امنیت ملی
Leadership
Chairman
Secretary
Seats13
Meeting place
Tehran, Iran

Ali Larijani, who was secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, was assassinated on 17 March 2026. Larijani was succeeded by Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, the secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council, on March 24, 2026.[4][5]

Functions

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The responsibilities of the council are defined by the constitution as:

  1. Determining the defense and national security policies of the country within the framework of general policies determined by the Supreme Leader.
  2. Coordination of political activities, intelligence, social, cultural and economic fields relating to general policies of defense and national security.
  3. Exploitation of material and intellectual resources of the country for facing the internal and external threats.

Nuclear policy

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Supreme National Security Council formulates the country's nuclear policy. The nuclear policies formulated by the council would become effective if they are confirmed by the Supreme Leader.[6] The secretary of the Supreme council was the chief nuclear negotiator of Iran until 5 September 2013 when responsibility for nuclear talks was assigned to the ministry of foreign affairs.[7]

Composition

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This National Security Council is mandated by Article 176 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran to be presided over by the president of the country.[8] The President appoints the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council through an official decree.[9] The decisions of the Council are effective after the confirmation by the Supreme Leader.[10] Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) are at the top of the foreign policy decisions process.

List of secretaries

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№ Secretary Tenure Political position Appointed by President Supreme Leader
Name Picture Took office Left office
1 Hassan Rouhani 12 October 1989[11] 15 August 2005 Reformist Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani Ali Khamenei
Mohammad Khatami
2 Ali Larijani 15 August 2005 20 October 2007 Principlist Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
3 Saeed Jalili 20 October 2007 10 September 2013
4 Ali Shamkhani 10 September 2013 22 May 2023 Reformist Hassan Rouhani
Ebrahim Raisi
5 Ali Akbar Ahmadian 22 May 2023 5 August 2025 Principlist Ebrahim Raisi
Masoud Pezeshkian
6 Ali Larijani 5 August 2025[12] 17 March 2026 Principlist
7 Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr 24 March 2026[13][14] Incumbent Principlist Mojtaba Khamenei

Members

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As of 17 March 2026, following members are:[15][16]

#AppointerEx officio memberCurrent officeholderPosition in the Supreme Council
1Popular electionPresidentMasoud PezeshkianChairman
2Indirect electionSpeaker of the ParliamentMohammad Bagher GhalibafMember
3Supreme LeaderChief JusticeGholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i
4BG Mohammad Bagher ZolghadrSecretary[a]
5Representative of the Supreme Leader of Iran (with voting rights in the Council)Saeed JaliliMember
6Chief of the General StaffVacant (since February 28, 2026)
7Chief of the ArmyMG Amir Hatami
8Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard CorpsBG Ahmad Vahidi
9PresidentMinister of Foreign AffairsAbbas Araghchi
10Minister of the InteriorBG Eskandar Momeni
11Minister of IntelligenceVacant (since March 18, 2026)
12Head of Plan and Budget OrganizationHamid Pourmohammadi
13Minister related with the Subject of Agenda of the Council (with voting rights in the Council)Other Cabinet MinistersTemporary member

See also

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Notes

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  1. ↑ Appointed in consultation with the President

References

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  1. ↑ "Iran names hardline ex-Revolutionary Guards commander to replace slain security chief". Reuters. 24 March 2026.
  2. ↑ "Zolghadr appointed Iran's security chief". Mehr News Agency. 24 March 2026.
  3. ↑ Islamic Republic of Iran, The Supreme National Security Council (SNSC)
  4. ↑ "Iran names hardline ex-Revolutionary Guards commander to replace slain security chief". Reuters. 24 March 2026.
  5. ↑ "Zolghadr appointed Iran's security chief". Mehr News Agency. 24 March 2026.
  6. ↑ Article 176
  7. ↑ "Iran's Rouhani shifts responsibility for nuclear talks". BBC. 5 September 2013. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
  8. ↑ § 1 of Article 176
  9. ↑ Archived 2007-10-24 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ↑ § 5 of Article 176
  11. ↑ "Chronology July 16, 1989–October 15, 1989". Middle East Journal. 44 (1): 114. Winter 1990. JSTOR 4328058.
  12. ↑ "Ali Larijani reappointed secretary of Iran's top security body". Reuters. 5 August 2025. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
  13. ↑ "Iran names hardline ex-Revolutionary Guards commander to replace slain security chief". Reuters. 24 March 2026.
  14. ↑ "Zolghadr appointed Iran's security chief". Mehr News Agency. 24 March 2026.
  15. ↑ Iranian Supreme National Security Council Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine
  16. ↑ "article 176 of constitution". Website of Iranian parliament. Retrieved 4 July 2025.

Further reading

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  • Wege, Carl Anthony. "Iranian intelligence organizations." International Journal of Intelligence and CounterIntelligence 10.3 (1997): 287-298.
  • Wege, Carl Anthony. "Iranian Counterintelligence." International Journal of Intelligence and CounterIntelligence 32.2 (2019): 272-294.
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35°47′02″N 51°31′51″E / 35.7840°N 51.5308°E / 35.7840; 51.5308

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