Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Iran appointed Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) veteran, to lead its national security after Ali Larijani was killed in an Israeli strike last week. Zolghadr is a loyalist of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, and analysts say his elevation signals Khamenei is tightening his grip on power.
Zolghadr, who served in the 1980s war against Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, went on to become head of the IRGC’s joint staff for eight years and then deputy commander-in-chief of the elite force for another eight years.
Zolghadr’s new position consolidates the IRGC’s growing clout in Iran.