Iran appoints former IRGC Commander Mohsen Rezaee to National Security Council
Aged 71, Mohsen Rezaei has been wanted by Interpol since 2007 for his role in the attack on the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Iran has appointed Mohsen Rezaee, the former commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, one of the country’s most strategically important positions.
Rezaee, 71, has been wanted by Interpol since 2007 over his alleged involvement in the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The attack killed 85 people and injured hundreds. Argentine authorities have accused Hezbollah of carrying out the bombing with Iranian support.
Rezaeeis the second official to lead the Supreme National Security Council since the death of Ali Larijani, who was reportedly killed in an Israeli strike last March during the war between Israel and Iran. He succeeds Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, who has been appointed political adviser to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.
A veteran of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Rezaee headed the force from 1981 to 1997 before taking on a series of senior positions within the Iranian government. Most recently, he served as a military adviser to the Supreme Leader.
In recent weeks, Rezaee has attracted attention for his forceful statements regarding the Strait of Hormuz, saying Iran would not tolerate a maritime corridor outside its control. He has also described control of the strategic waterway as being “more important than dozens of atomic bombs.”
Argentina sought Rezaee's arrest in 2022 during an official visit to Qatar, but the request was unsuccessful. Buenos Aires continues to call for his arrest, maintaining that Rezaee participated in a meeting where the AMIA bombing was allegedly planned.