Ali Akbar Ahmadian

Ali Akbar Ahmadian is an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officer and senior national security official appointed Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council in May 2023, replacing Ali Shamkhani. Born around 1961 in Shahr-e Babak, Kerman Province, he joined the IRGC at the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq War, interrupting dentistry studies at the University of Tehran. He rose through IRGC ranks to command the IRGC Navy, serve as Chief of IRGC Joint Staff (2000–2007), and lead the IRGC Strategic Centre — a key institutional node in shaping Iran's ballistic missile programme and security doctrine. From 2022 he served on the Expediency Discernment Council. His appointment as SNSC Secretary by President Ebrahim Raisi signalled greater IRGC integration in national security decision-making. He is regarded as taciturn and deeply embedded in the IRGC institutional culture.