Mohsen Rezaei, From Wartime Commander to Security Chief
WANA (Aug 21) – Some figures experience a single era of history and then step aside, while others are so pivotal in key moments that their names become tied to generations of major decisions. Major General Mohsen Rezaei belongs to this second category.
Appointed commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) at just 27 years old, he led the force for 16 years through one of the most challenging eras in modern Iranian history.
He later transitioned into macro-level policymaking and economics, and now, in August 2026, he has returned to one of the nation’s most sensitive decision-making seats: Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) and the Supreme Leader’s representative on the council.
His path began long before, on September 1, 1954, near Masjed Soleyman. Rezaei spent his early years there before politics and conflict altered his trajectory. While studying at the Oil Industry Technical School in Ahvaz, he engaged in political activism against the Pahlavi state, leading to his arrest and imprisonment by SAVAK.
In 1974, he was admitted to Iran University of Science and Technology to study mechanical engineering and moved to Tehran—a transition that coincided with more structured underground opposition activities.
As the 1979 Revolution unfolded, he stepped into a new role: establishing security and military institutions for the new governance framework. During Ayatollah Khomeini’s return, Rezaei helped manage security alongside Mohammad Boroujerdi, a late Iranian senior commander.
Following the revolution, he participated in drafting the IRGC constitution and soon took charge of its intelligence unit during a time of domestic unrest and security crises.
The key turning point occurred in 1981. With Iran engaged in war, military structures were still developing, and the IRGC was far from its current organizational scale.
In this setting, Ayatollah Khomeini appointed the 27-year-old Rezaei as Commander-in-Chief of the IRGC—a task requiring him to turn a vast, youthful, and largely inexperienced force into a cohesive military organization.
This marked his entry into major wartime planning operations, including Fath ol-Mobin, Beit ol-Moqaddas, Kheibar, Badr, Valfajr 8, and Karbala 5. These operations formed the environment where a new generation of commanders emerged.
Key milestones included the liberation of Khorramshahr during Operation Beit ol-Moqaddas and the crossing of the Arvand River to capture Fav during Valfajr 8, with Rezaei overseeing the command structure.
Beyond battlefield directives, his role involved structuring the combat organization and coordinating commanders who were mostly under 30—including Hassan Bagheri, Ahmad Motevaselian, Ebrahim Hemmat, Mehdi Bakeri, and Hossein Kharrazi.
Iran’s Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Major General Mohsen Rezaei. Social Media / WANA News Agency
During these years, the IRGC evolved from an informal revolutionary force into a structured organization with ground, naval, and air components.
Under his tenure, Imam Hossein University and Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences were established, and following the war, its engineering assets were repurposed for reconstruction through the Khatam al-Anbiya Construction Headquarters.
This combination of field leadership, analysis, and organizational management is often cited by his contemporaries. General Gholamali Rashid, the late commander of the Central Headquarters of Hazrat Khatam al-Anbiya, who served alongside him, noted his “speed of comprehension,” “strategic clarity,” “crisis management,” and “ability to break deadlocks,” suggesting future commanders should learn to act “in a Mohsen-like manner.”
One notable document regarding his analytical framework dates back to February 2, 1982, from the notes of Hassan Bagheri. Addressing commanders, Rezaei projected that should the United States fail to achieve its objectives through armed conflict and opposition groups, it would inevitably turn to two main levers: economic pressure and encirclement against Iran, alongside efforts to align Arab nations against Tehran.
Although published years later, the significance lies beyond the precise wording of the prediction. It highlights how a 27-year-old commander, operating while foreign armor remained on home soil, looked beyond the immediate frontline toward an era where the confrontation would shift into economic and regional spheres.
The Return of a Wartime Commander to the Heart of Iran’s Security Decision-Making
WANA (Aug 10) – The appointment of Mohsen Rezaei as Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council cannot be viewed merely as an administrative change within the country’s decision-making structure. The move comes at a time when Iran’s security environment is facing a complex set of challenges, ranging from regional geopolitical shifts and competition […]
In 1997, after 16 years, Rezaei’s tenure as Commander-in-Chief of the IRGC came to an end. In appointing him to his next post, the late Supreme Leader, Seyed Ali Khamenei, acknowledged his role in “transforming a cadre of young revolutionaries into an organization defined by capability and structural weight”—a description that largely summarizes the core of his career.
Stepping down from military command did not mark a retirement, but rather a transition into new domains. Rezaei joined the Expediency Discernment Council, serving as its Secretary for nearly 24 years from 1997 to 2021.
Operational maps and command posts were replaced by macro-level policymaking and economic governance. He later entered the executive branch directly, serving as Vice President for Economic Affairs from 2021 to 2023, shifting his focus into complex administrative fields.
Throughout these transitions, his connection to defense and security policy remained intact. Recognizing this ongoing influence, the U.S. Department of the Treasury designated Rezaei alongside other senior officials in January 2020, citing his involvement in regional strategy.
Following these successive roles, his focus has returned directly to national security. In August 2026, Rezaei was appointed as the Supreme Leader’s representative to the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) and subsequently named Secretary of the Council by the President.
More than four decades after assuming command as a young officer, he resumes a role centered on coordinating defense, foreign policy, economics, and national security.
Reflecting on this trajectory presents a series of distinct phases: pre-revolution activist, head of IRGC intelligence, wartime commander, institutional architect, Expediency Council secretary, policymaker, economic official, and national security chief.
Few figures within the state apparatus have operated across such a broad range of sectors—from early security construction and reconstruction to macro-policy and current crisis management.
Rezaei now returns to a key decision-making arena where policies carry long-term weight. The historical concept of acting “in a Mohsen-like manner”—as once framed by General Gholamali Rashid—takes on renewed context.
The present environment extends beyond physical frontlines to encompass conventional defense, cyber operations, intelligence, sanctions, economic policy, diplomacy, and regional dynamics. For someone who has spent over four decades navigating these turning points, the central defining trait remains the capacity to navigate complex challenges when standard options appear limited.
