Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday appointed Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, a former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps deputy chief, as the new secretary of Tehran’s Supreme National Security Council.
Zolghadr replaces Ali Larijani, who was eliminated by Israel last week after having taken control of the Islamic Republic following the Feb. 28 assassination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.
The appointment of Zolghadr received the approval of newly-minted Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, Iranian state media reported.
Despite intelligence indicating that the younger Khamenei is alive, U.S. and Israeli intelligence agencies are working to assess his location and condition, Axios reported on Saturday, citing senior U.S. and Israeli officials.
The mystery surrounding Khamenei deepened after he failed to appear for a Nowruz New Year speech on Friday, breaking with a tradition his father observed every year. Instead, he issued only a written message on Telegram.
Israeli officials previously told The New York Times that Mojtaba Khamenei sustained leg injuries in an airstrike and was staying in a secure location with limited communications.
