Iran has appointed former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Mohsen Rezaeias secretary of the country’s Supreme National Security Council, placing a man wanted by Interpol over his alleged role in the deadly 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center in Argentina at the helm of Tehran’s top security body.
Rezaei, 71, previously commanded the IRGC from 1981 until 1997 and has since held several senior positions within the Iranian regime. He recently served as a military adviser to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.
President Masoud Pezeshkian appointed Rezaei following the resignation of Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, who is moving to a new position as a political adviser to Khamenei, according to the Iranian presidency.
Rezaei becomes the second person to lead the Supreme National Security Council since Israel killed Ali Larijani in March during the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran. The IDF described Larijani at the time as Iran’s “de facto leader” following the killing of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on the first day of the war.
Rezaei has also emerged as a prominent hardline voice over Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz. In July, he declared that control of the strategic waterway was “more important than dozens of atomic bombs,” and earlier this month said Tehran would never permit an unauthorized shipping route through the Strait.
His appointment is particularly significant because of his alleged involvement in the July 18, 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, which killed 85 people and wounded hundreds.
An Argentine court has determined that the attack was carried out by Hezbollah terrorists and was initiated, planned and financed by Iran.
Late Argentine prosecutor Alberto Nisman, who led the investigation into the bombing, alleged that the decision to carry out the attack was made by senior Iranian officials during an August 1993 meeting of the regime’s “Committee for Special Operations.”
Nisman’s 2006 indictment alleged that Rezaei, who was serving as IRGC commander at the time, participated in planning the attack and that his involvement extended into its implementation.
Interpol has maintained a Red Notice seeking Rezaei’s arrest since 2007, along with notices for several other Iranian suspects and a Lebanese national linked to the case.
Argentina has previously sought Rezaei’s arrest during his travels abroad. In 2022, Buenos Aires formally asked Qatar to detain him during a visit to the Gulf state, but he was not arrested.
Argentine federal judge Daniel Rafecas said at the time that the accusation against Rezaei stemmed from his alleged participation in the meeting “in which carrying out the attack on AMIA’s headquarters was decided.”
Rezaei’s appearance at the inauguration of Nicaragua’s president that same year also sparked outrage in Argentina, whose Foreign Ministry called his presence “an affront to Argentine justice and to the victims” of the terrorist bombing.
His elevation to Iran’s top national security post comes as Tehran continues reorganizing its leadership following the deaths of numerous senior regime and military officials during the war.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
