Iran appoints Guards commander as new top security official

Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi has appointed Revolutionary Guards commander Ali Akbar Ahmadian as the country's top security official, Iranian state media reported on May 22, replacing Ali Shamkhani.

The move comes days after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stressed flexibility in foreign policy whenever necessary to overcome any obstacles, The Jerusalem Post reports.

Shamkhani, who was appointed the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) in 2013, served as defence minister under two-term reformist president Mohammad Khatami from 1997 to 2005.

Active across the political spectrum in the Islamic Republic for decades, Shamkhani inked a China-brokered deal with Saudi Arabia in April that ended years of political rift between the regional rivals.