Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr

Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr (Persian: محمدباقر ذوالقدر) is an Iranian former military officer who is serving as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council since March 2026. He has also served as the Secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council since 2021.

He was formerly the deputy for strategic, societal–security and crime prevention affairs in the judicial system of Iran. He is also a former Deputy Interior Minister for Security Affairs under Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and he helped Ahmadinejad come to power with a "multilayered plan." In March 2026, he was appointed Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, succeeding Ali Larijani.

Before the 1979 revolution, Zolghard was active in carrying out attacks against the monarchy. He is known for his hard-line views, and he stated on 24 March 2026 that the IRGC should gain more control over the country. The Economist described him as an "IRGC apparatchik".

Early life and education

Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr was born in 1954 in Fasa, near Shiraz, Iran. He pursued higher education at the University of Tehran, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in economics from the Faculty of Economics prior to the 1979 Islamic revolution. Before the revolution, he was associated with the Mansourun guerrilla group, an Islamist militant organization active at the time. Some sources have alleged that in 1978 he, along with Mohsen Rezaei, was involved in the killing of an American engineer and an oil company manager.

Military career

In the early 1980s, Zolghadr co-headed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' educational division. He later served as the commander of IRGC Irregular Warfare Headquarters, as well as Ramazan Headquarters. Zolghadr served as the deputy commander of the IRGC. In 2007, Zolghadr was appointed the deputy chief of general staff of Iranian Armed Forces for Basij-related affairs.

Political activity

Following the Iranian Revolution, Zolghadr joined the Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization and belonged to its right-wing faction, having previously been a member of Mansouroun guerrilla organization along with later fellow IRGC servicemen Rezaei, Shamkhani and Rashid. He is reportedly "one of the founders" of Ansar-e Hezbollah.

Judicial career

Zolghadr was appointed the deputy Judiciary chief for strategic affairs on 14 May 2012, having previously served as the advisor to the Chief Justice Sadeq Larijani since 2010.

Personal life

Zolghadr is married to Sedigheh Begum Hejazi, who has served as Director-General of the Office of Women and Family Affairs at the Organization of Islamic Culture and Communication. His son-in-law, Kazem Gharibabadi, is an Iranian diplomat who has represented Iran in Vienna at international organizations, including the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Published works

Zolghadr authored Qesse-ye Ghorbat-e Gharbi (Persian: قصه‌ی غربت غربی; English: The Tale of Western Estrangement), published in 1381 (2002–2003) in Iran by Dowrye Aliye Jang. The work, written in Persian, is a short volume (38 pages) that engages with themes related to Western society and culture, framed through a critical and ideological lens.