00:00Mohsen Rezaei is Iran's new security chief.
00:02He is replacing Mohamed Bagherzul Qatr, who was appointed Secretary of Iran's National
00:08Security Council in March of 2026 after his predecessor Ali Larijani was assassinated
00:15in a U.S. Sicily strike in Tehran.
00:17Like the late Larijani, Rezaei is a veteran figure in Iranian politics, but he actually
00:23began his career in the military and ended up becoming one of the most astounding figures
00:29in the Islamic Republic's military system.
00:32The 71-year-old was an anti-Shah activist when he was in undergrad school.
00:38After the revolution, he helped draft the founding charter of the IRGC and became its intelligence
00:44chief.
00:45In 1981, only months after the Iraqi invasion of Iran, Rezaei was appointed commander-in-chief
00:52of the IRGC.
00:53He held that role until 1997, becoming the longest-serving IRGC commander.
01:00He then served 24 years as the secretary of the Expediency Council, which is a top advisory
01:06body in Iran.
01:07During the recent two wars the U.S. and Israel launched against Iran, Rezaei often appeared
01:12in front of cameras to speak to the Iranian people.
01:16He is believed to have played an important advisory role to the top decision-makers.
01:20Rezaei's appointment as Iran's new security chief was announced by a decree from Iran's
01:26leader Ayatollah Said Mojtaba Khamenei, who cited his invaluable experience as the reason
01:33for his appointment.
01:34This trade was emphasized by other Iranian officials like the parliament speaker and the judiciary
01:39chief in messages they issued to congratulate Rezaei and wish him successful tenure.
01:45Some analysts believe that Rezaei's appointment is likely to harden Iran's positions in negotiations
01:52with the U.S.
01:53of the U.S.
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