By Mardo Soghom, Middle East Forum
The Islamic Republic of Iran is forming a new National Defense Council and appointed a new secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, though it remains unclear whether the moves signal defiance toward the West and Israel or preparation for potential concessions.
At the beginning of August 2025, websites close to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council reported upcoming structural changes, including the creation of a new National Defense Council—a body that last existed during the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s.
These reports also mentioned the appointment of Ali Larijani, the former three-term speaker of Parliament and a centrist figure, to the Supreme National Security Council.
On August 5, President Masoud Pezeshkian confirmed his appointment, replacing an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps general who held the post for more than a year.
In his decree, the president called on the new secretary of the Supreme National Security Council to “monitor and prioritize national security issues and risks, especially emerging and technological threats.”
