Tehran [Iran], March 24 (ANI): Tehran has announced the appointment of Veteran military commander and strategist Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr as the new Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC).

Seyyed Mehdi Tabatabai, the Deputy for Communications and Information at the Iranian President's Office, announced it in a post on X on Tuesday.

Also Read | Middle East Conflict: Iran Targets Israel, Gulf States As Strikes Hit Tehran Amid Mixed Signals Over Talks To End War.

Zolqadr has been appointed to the top security chair by a direct presidential decree and with the endorsement of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei.

He replaces Ali Larijani, who was assassinated in the Israeli-American strike last week. Larijani had served in the position since August 2025.

Also Read | 'Project Hail Mary': Ryan Gosling's Sci-Fi Film Blasts Off With USD 80.5 Million at Box Office, Best for Amazon MGM, and the Year.

According to Iranian media, Zolqadr brings decades of experience across Iran's military, security, and judicial institutions to the post at a critical juncture.

He previously served as deputy chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces for Basij affairs, and held senior positions in the judiciary for nearly a decade.

Zolqadr served for eight years as head of the IRGC Joint Staff during the presidency of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. He then spent another eight years as deputy commander-in-chief of the IRGC.

Earlier, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) announced staging the 78th wave of its retaliatory Operation True Promise 4. IRGC claimed it was targeting highly sensitive Israeli targets as Dimona, Tel Aviv, and Eilat as well as several US military bases in the region.

In a statement on Tuesday, the IRGC described the latest phase of the operation as a significant development featuring missiles raining down on enemy targets as the nation was levelling momentous support behind the Islamic Republic by attending millions-strong rallies with "clenched fists."

According to the statement, targets in the occupied port of Eilat, Dimona, a heavily fortified city that hosts the Israel's nuclear reactor in its vicinity, and northern Tel Aviv were struck using Emad and multi-warhead Qadr missile systems along with attack drones.

This was the second time the IRGC was hitting Dimona. (ANI)

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)