Iran Taps Disgraced Former Minister to Lead Security Council After Larijani Assassination

​TEHRAN — In a move that signaled both desperation and a dwindling talent pool within the Islamic Republic’s high command, Hossein Dehghan has been named the new Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC). The appointment, confirmed by state media on Thursday, follows the high-profile assassination of his predecessor, Ali Larijani, in a precision Israeli airstrike earlier this week.

​Dehghan, a veteran brigadier general in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and former Defense Minister (2013–2017), returns to the forefront of Iran’s security apparatus at a moment of existential crisis. However, his track record is marked by one of the most significant intelligence failures in the regime’s history.

​It was under Dehghan’s watch as Defense Minister that Mossad agents successfully infiltrated a warehouse in Tehran in 2018, exfiltrating Iran’s entire secret nuclear archive. The haul—consisting of over 55,000 pages and 183 compact discs—provided the international community with definitive proof of Iran’s past efforts to develop nuclear weapons.

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​The theft was a massive embarrassment for the Iranian leadership, reportedly leading to Dehghan’s eventual sideline from core cabinet duties. His sudden promotion to the nation’s top security post suggests that the relentless attrition of Iranian leadership has left Tehran with few alternatives.

​The vacancy was created by the death of Ali Larijani, who was killed on March 17 alongside his son and several aides during a wave of strikes targeting regime figures. Larijani had been serving as the de facto leader of the country’s defense strategy following the assassination of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in February.

​Larijani was widely regarded as a “pragmatic conservative” capable of navigating both internal IRGC politics and back-channel diplomacy with the West. In contrast, Dehghan’s background is rooted in the IRGC’s more militant history; he is notably linked to the orchestration of the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing that killed 241 U.S. service members.

​Regional analysts suggest that Dehghan’s appointment reflects a “bunker mentality” in Tehran. With the “old guard” of experienced diplomats and strategists largely eliminated, the regime is turning to loyalist military figures whose primary qualification is survival rather than strategic success.

​”The selection of Dehghan is a clear indicator that the regime’s bench is empty,” noted one Middle East security expert. “They are recycling a commander who presided over their greatest intelligence catastrophe because they have no one else left to trust.”